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Derek couldn't help but smile when his lance shattered against his opponent's chest, pushing him to the floor along with his beautiful grey mare. His smile dimmed slightly at that. He hoped it hadn't hurt itself with the fall.
He continued up the jousting field on his own black stallion, Merlin, but ignored the squires given to him by the host and galloped back down the field to offer his opponent a hand up. The boy (he couldn't have been more than nineteen, Derek was sure) looked surprised but took his hand.
"How old are you, boy?"
"Boy?!" the lad spluttered, looking outraged," I'm twenty, thank you very much!" Eh, so Derek was off by a year, why was this kid so offended? He rolled his eyes with a smirk,
"What's your name, Sir McCall?"
"Scott," the boy spat," and who the hell might you be?" Derek frowned. What's with the kid's attitude?
"I-,"
"Sir Hale!" an announcer cut him off," If you would be so kind as to step up to claim your prize!"
Derek nodded, turning back to shake hands with this Scott, but the boy had disappeared, leaving a couple of squires to come sprinting to collect his horse. Drowning in confusion, Derek quickly made his way up to the seat of the King to collect what was probably some reward money. Derek was running short currently, which was the only reason he'd decided to quickly join the tournament.
"Ah, Sir Hale," the King smiled," I have heard tales of your skill on both the jousting and battle field - it will be an honour to have you as my son-in-law,"
"Thank you, my Lor-," Derek paused as he registered the King's words," wait, what? Son-in-law?" The gorgeous dark haired girl beside him scoffed and the King frowned.
"Um, well yes, the whole point to this tournament was for the winner to take my daughter's hand in marriage." Derek internally groaned. Shit. That's why the kid was so pissed off.
"I do apologise, Sir, but I did not realise that this was the case. I therefore formally decline and apologise for this inconvenience."
The King laughed,
"Nonsense! Don't be ridiculous, I cannot accept you running off like this. My daughter refuses to marry any one of her suitors so I set up this tournament specifically to find her a very capable knight who is good enough for her. She actually agreed to this! So I have taken my opportunity. And from what I hear, Sir, you are the most wonderful knight. It is my honour to welcome you to our family. The wedding will be in two weeks. You can get to know each other in that time, yes?"
Derek could see the look in the King's eye which said that he better do as he was told or he'd be strung up by his most precious jewels. Clearly he was at his wits end with his daughter refusing to marry anyone else he deems suitable and Derek just happened to pick the wrong tournament attend. He realised that the whole crowd attending the tournament was silently waiting for his reply. He glanced at the princess but she had her head resolutely turned away from him, staring angrily into the distance. He sighed,
"Okay." The crowd exploded in cheers and the King grinned,
"Great, well, this is Allison, my daughter," he said, turning to look at her." Darling, why don't you show your husband-to-be around the castle?"
It took no more encouragement for her to stand from her seat and storm towards the castle, glaring at her guards when they tried to follow. They immediately stopped. Derek hesitated.
"What about my horse?" he questioned, looking round in shock to see that he'd lost sight of Merlin.
"Don't worry, good Sir," the King smiled," a squire has already taken him to the stables. And one more thing," he added," I may seem a bit harsh to you, perhaps, to my daughter, I mean...but I'm not well, you see, and although I know Allison is a strong, independent girl, she is still that: a girl. I cannot convey how hard it is to explain to her that she needs a secure husband that the rest of the kingdom will respect. People are set in their ways, you know?"
Derek suddenly realised how tired the King looked. He bowed his head respectfully,
"Don't fear, Sire. I'm sure we'll figure something out." And with that, Derek hurried to catch up with the princess.
*****************************
She didn't even slow down until they reached what Derek assumed were her chambers as she entered and slammed the doors behind her. There was a big, dark-skinned guard waiting outside who glared venomously at Derek as he approached, slightly out of breath but fighting hard not to show it.
"And who the hell might you be?"
"I-," Derek panted, but was cut off my someone yelling,
"Boyd! Is Allison in there?!" The Boyd boy's eyes immediately softened when he caught sight of a strawberry-blonde haired beauty hurrying gracefully (Derek thought that was impossible, but apparently not) down the long corridor towards the princess' chambers.
"Lydia. Yes, she just ran in there, followed by this stranger," Boyd replied, glaring accusingly at Derek as if he was the cause of her upset. And in a way, he guessed he was.
"Oh, you must be Sir Hale," the Lydia girl said, her tone suggesting she recognised him. She'd probably been watching the tournament.
"Who?" Boyd frowned,
"The winner of the tournament," Lydia said carefully. Derek caught the double-meaning of her words. Clearly he was the only one in the entire city, at least, who didn't realise the one who won also had to marry the princess. He sighed.
"Oh, shit," Boyd murmured, looking over Derek yet again," how's Scott?" Derek tensed in recognition. His opponent?
"Not good," Lydia sighed," he's really, really upset. And angry. He rode off on Darius as I was going to see if he was okay and...I'm worried he'll do something stupid."
"I'm sorry to intervene, but I'd like you to know that I never intended to marry the princess," Derek stated. Somehow Boyd seemed to take offence to that as his glare hardened.
"I mean, I didn't know that she was the...prize?" he tried explaining," I thought I could just get some money and be on my way. And, this is based on an assumption, this Scott clearly wanted to win."
"No shit," Lydia growled,
"And the princess?"
"Allison. She doesn't like her title," Boyd interjected.
"Allison has been in love with Scott ever since they were kids. They grew up together. Hell, we all did," Lydia smiled sadly at Boyd," but our backgrounds mean that it's hard for us to be with each other how we'd like." Derek noted the wobble in her voice. He guessed she'd experienced the ridiculous inequality of the social ladder. Derek had as well.
"God, I've messed up their chance," Derek growled, mentally punching himself in the gut. He knew how hard it was to accept that love didn't count for shit in this life. Especially when you're a Royal. It's all goddamn politics. He slammed his fist against a wall, causing Lydia to jump and let out a little yelp. Derek's breath became ragged as he attempted to calm him rage. He'd run out of his moon oil. Shit. Thankfully his sharpened nails pricking his palm brought him back, allowed him to focus.
"I'll fix it," he muttered before repeating it louder," I'll fix it." Lydia scoffed,
"You can't. Don't even think about telling the King. They've both tried, together and separately, but he refused to accept it. Scott isn't of noble birth, hell he's just become a knight, after years of persistent training. His mother is an assistant to Doctor Deaton, his father was a drunk. The King will never accept Scott." Derek sighed.
"Well, where is the kid? I'll go find him."
"Don't bother," Lydia said," he'll be back. He always comes back for Allison."
"Which is a very good point," Boyd murmured," I haven't heard anything being broken or any crying while we've been talking. Where is Allison?"
**********************
She was gone. Boyd had run to grab these two blonde, curly-haired guards (Derek was certain they were twins) and the five of them searched her entire chambers and couldn't find a trace.
"Her bow is gone!" Lydia called.
"Fuck, I know how she got out!" one of the twins called from the bathroom. They all rushed in to see a rope made of tied sheets swinging down the side of the castle to the ground. Lydia groaned.
"Isaac, go and see if Juniper is missing - she wouldn't run away without him."
"Wait, is that her horse? Are you going to the stables?" The blonde nodded. Derek grinned,
"I'll come with you. I need to see if Merlin is okay."
"Merlin?" his twin echoed.
"My horse," he replied. The most feminine laugh he'd heard rang from the guard's lips and Derek frowned, turning back to look at Isaac's twin. The guard took off their helmet and Derek blinked. It was a girl.
"I'm Erica, by the way," she smirked, holding out her hand.
"You're a girl."
"Well aren't you a smart one?" she said, amused.
"I don't-," Suddenly he had a knife against his throat.
"No one knows. So you keep your mouth shut, got it?" Isaac hissed.
"Sure, sure, whatever, I was just surprised," Derek insisted, easing the blade away from his neck.
Bidding farewell to the two girls and Boyd, Derek rushed after Isaac to the stables.
"New horses are usually put over there to be checked by the Doc, but Juniper is this way, so I'll come and get you whenever I find him, okay?" Derek nodded, already heading in the direction towards Merlin.
He was startled to hear a voice chattering away loudly a few stalls away from him and he paused, unsure whether or not he should just sneak by or if he'd have to say something. Turns out he couldn't avoid conversation as the voice came from the same stall housing Merlin. It belonged to a boy who had moles scattered on his skin like the constellations in the sky.
****************************
The day has been slowly fading into night, so Derek guessed that was the reason the boy had lit a few candles and placed them around the stall. He frowned at the imminent fire hazard. He wasn't good with flames.
He was about to reveal himself when the boy again started jabbering away to Merlin as if he was a person.
"There we are, finally all clean. How long were you on the road for, boy? Your coat looks like it hasn't been brushed in forever. Or you mane. Or your tail. But oh well, all better now." The boy chuckled as Merlin made an appreciative little whinny. Derek was shocked. Merlin was never nice around other people. Derek had been the only one who'd been able to tame him and gain his trust ever since he was a foal. No one could understand why. Derek's mother had always said it was because Derek had a bit of a wild spirit himself, but everyone just scoffed and reminded her that they all had wild spirits. It's just their family's way.
"I wonder where that owner of yours is, huh? Thought he'd come to check up on you by now...but I guess he's trying to court Allison. She's one of my best friends, y'know? The princess?" the boy frowned slightly," Or, at least, she's in love with my best friend, so of course she's my best friend by default. We grew up together, y'know. All of us here in the castle; me, Scotty, Allison, Lydia, Boyd, the twins, Jackson...too bad we had to grow up." Derek fought the sudden urge to go over and hug the boy who sounded like he was about to cry. Then he suddenly brightened up,
"Oh well, that's what happens in life and life is life so you've gotta deal with it." He certainly didn't sound like he wanted to deal with it.
All of a sudden, Derek accidentally knocked over a broom resting by the door of the stall. The boy whirled round, horse body brush still in hand,
"Who's there?!" Derek couldn't help but pause to admire the way the warm glow of the candles reflected off the boy's face, causing his eyes to twinkle and glint like the shine you have when you polish fresh oak.
"That's my horse you're talking to," Derek commented, stepping out of the shadows. The boy blinked.
"Am I supposed to be apologising?" Derek raised his eyebrows in surprise at the question, then chuckled.
"Uh, no, I guess not...he likes you,"
"I've noticed," the boy replied, looking rather happy and gently stroking Merlin's coat.
"He doesn't usually like people," Derek commented, noting the grin on the boy's face.
"Well, I happen to very good with animals," he boasted, looking incredibly pleased with himself. Derek smiled.
"So, you're a stable hand then?" The boy scoffed,
"I wish," he grumbled.
"Well...who are you then?" Derek asked, surprising himself with his genuine curiosity.
"Squire," the boy replied simply,
"Then what are you doing in here? Won't your master need you?" The boy laughed loudly,
"Master? That's hilarious. But no, he won't be back for a while yet, it's only just gone dark. In fact, after today, he probably won't be back for at least a day. Maybe two if he's feeling adventurous." Derek sighed,
"You mean your master is this Scott McCall?" The boy's eyes snapped to stare at Derek in surprise.
"You know-wait, he's not my master, goddammit, he's my best friend! I would be working here had he not had his mind set on becoming a knight."
"Why didn't he just get another squire?" Derek frowned. The boy rolled his eyes.
"You don't understand. It's been his lifelong dream to be with Allison. But the King would never accept that. Scott has nothing to offer her, no money, no land. The only reason he was allowed to become a knight was because he saved Allison from this gang of cut throats when they came across her on her morning run with Juniper. The guards could never keep up with her. She was on her way to see Scott and they jumped out of the bushes. But even though Scott saved her, the King gave him a knighthood only because it was expected. He was still angry when he found out Allison has been going to meet up with him. Furious even. Allison was locked in her bedroom for five days." Derek scowled,
"She shouldn't be treated like that. If my sister was locked in her room she'd break the window and run away for twice as long."
"Oh, of course she snuck out, but it's the principle, right? The King knew she'd creep out somehow. He does love her. He was just angry."
"You seem to know a lot about the whole thing," Derek pointed out. He shrugged,
"He's my best friend. Plus it's easy to find these things out when your father is the head of the King's personal guard."
"The what?!" Derek spluttered," Shouldn't you be a knight?" The boy laughed,
"You wouldn't say that if you've ever seen me try and balance a sword. It seems fighting just isn't my strong suit. Besides, I'm content with helping Scott. It means I can spend time with the horses more, seeing as most of the time Scott is in Allison's arms." Derek noted the slightly bitter tone but decided not to comment on it.
"So, I know your best friend wants to marry the princess. I know your father is the head of the King's guard. And I know you love horses. What I don't know, though, is your name." The boy glanced at him with a raised eyebrow.
"I don't know yours either, Sir Black Wolf." Derek chuckled,
"Black Wolf?"
"Your sigil intrigued me. It sounds better than Sir Hale, don't you think?"
"It's Derek."
"What?"
"My name," he laughed," it's Derek."
"Oh!" the boy blushed," I'm Stiles."
"Stiles?"
"Don't ask." Derek didn't.
***************************
"So, Sir Stlinkski, what makes you so fascinated with horses?"
"Ew, don't call me that, that's my father's name," Stiles laughed," and I think it was my mother. She was the head of the stables, I'll have you know." He sounded proud.
"Really? I've never heard of a woman being in charge of stables before."
"She was very stubborn," Stiles murmured fondly. Derek smiled.
The evening had drawn on a bit, the stars now glittering in the dark sky. Stiles had jabbered away non-stop about what a good boy Merlin was and how gorgeous he was and how well-behaved and how brilliantly he did during the tournament.
"Oh, and you did fine as well," he said to Derek, making the older man laugh. After Stiles had calmed down a bit, they'd said goodnight to Merlin and gone out to sit on the trunk of a fallen tree by the river running past the stables to gaze at the stars.
"Do you know what the time is?" Stiles asked suddenly. Derek shrugged.
"No idea, but it is getting late."
"And I haven't even eaten anything yet! Oh gods, I'm starving!" Stiles announced, standing up," Come on, let's go get something to eat!" Derek followed without even realising.
It took them a good ten minutes to get to the castle and Derek silently wondered where Isaac had disappeared off to. He had said he would come back to get him. Shaking his head, he focuses on Stiles' constant stream of words pouring out of his mouth, catching:
"Yes, so we'll have to kinda sneak in, since supper probably ended hours ago. Unless there's no one there, although there's always someone in there, trust me, trying to get something to nibble on in the middle of the night is an absolute nightmare because I think Susie, the chief cook, actually lives there! How insane would that be?! To actually live in the kitchen?! You wouldn't need to go anywhere to get food, it would just be right there in front of you and- oh look, we're here." Derek thanked the gods.
Thankfully, the feast following the tournament still seemed to be going on as servants were still rushing in and out of the kitchen doors with massive plates laden with food. Derek's stomach suddenly rumbled making Stiles laugh and Derek was so busy admiring that beautiful sound that he forgot to be embarrassed. He would discover that that was what it was like with Stiles. There was just never time to worry about anything. Watching him casually steal little cakes, pieces of meat and chunks of bread whilst shamelessly flirting with the cooks and servants to get out of trouble was strangely fascinating. And then before he knew it, Stiles had grabbed his hand and was dragging Derek out of the kitchens, both of them laughing at how much food Stiles had stuffed into his pockets.
"Sir Hale!" It was Lydia.
"Lydia!" Stiles grinned, but Lydia didn't look happy.
"For god's sake, Stiles! The King has had men looking for Derek for the past hour! He is beyond furious that Allison has run off, especially since everyone knows that she's with Scott, and then he can't find his son-in-law-to-be! It wouldn't have been that bad had he not been the guest of honour! He's livid!"
Derek wanted to hit himself. Of course the King would've wanted him to attend the feast. But with Stiles, he just seemed to lose track of time. Either that or Derek just didn't want to keep track of it.
Derek suddenly felt lost. He didn't want to go but he didn't really have a choice until the princess returned so they could sort this shit out. He glanced at Stiles. The squire smiled softly,
"Go on then, dumbass, you don't want the King to be angry at you - he might banish you so you can't marry Allison," he teased. Derek frowned, seriously contemplating the idea. Lydia snorted,
"Don't be ridiculous, Stiles, Derek is the most appropriate match that the King's found. Now, come on Sir Hale. We should get you to the King so you can explain yourself."
"What could I possibly tell him?" Stiles looked offended but didn't say anything.
"That you were checking on your horse and lost track of time," Lydia said firmly," that's it. No mention of Stiles."
Derek frowned and glanced at the squire. Stiles didn't look surprised, only slightly upset.
"Derek," Lydia hissed," don't make me get Boyd to drag you!"
Stiles had already disappeared when Derek risked a look back as he hurried to keep up with Lydia's strides.
The King wasn't pleased, obviously, but accepted Derek's rather stilted apology. He didn't really have a choice. The only way he'd get Allison to marry a acceptable suitor was to find one himself; the McCall boy wasn't appropriate, no matter how much she loved him. The King himself had a soft spot for Scott. His mother had helped save his wife when she was having complications with Allison's birth and when his wife actually did pass away, Melissa was first in line to offer her sympathy and help with Allison.
*******************************
Two days later and neither Scott nor Allison had been seen. The King was slowing starting to become even more furious. He sent patrols out every few hours, kept to his chambers and snapped at anyone who went near him. Save from Derek. It seemed the King still thought he could charm Derek into agreeing to the marriage, ignoring the fact that the knight was clearly uninterested. He was much more interesting in a certain squire.
Much to Derek's secret relief the King's sudden absence around the castle meant that he could spend increasing amounts of time with Stiles and his friends. Everyone seemed relaxed enough around Derek, especially when they realised Stiles was fond of the older man. The squire inspired laughter, happiness and comfort wherever he went. He'd be able to tame a fucking dragon, as Jackson so eloquently put it.
It was a Saturday afternoon, a rare few hours when they were all free of their duties (or at least able to sneak out of them, like Stiles). Lydia had decided that the group should ride out to a freshwater lake which Derek later found out was a place they'd gather at to just get away from everything when they were younger.
"When everything started getting a bit responsibility-laden, but too heavy for our liking, we'd come out here for a few hours to just pretend like we were kids again," Erica confessed quietly to Derek while the rest of them were splashing about in the clear water.
"Responsibility is a part of growing up," he murmured," no matter how much it sucks." Erica sighed.
"We don't want to stop being best friends," she said," and hopefully we never will, but the kingdom is getting all too strained. The King has no proper heir according to the too many narrow minded pricks running the surrounding lands. They don't understand that a woman can run a kingdom just as well as a man. And that's causing some people to get a bit too cocky and attack our borders. A good friend of ours, Danny, was sent off last year. It was a tense time for all of us here - then he didn't come back. It killed us. It's different to think about losing a friend and then to actually experience it." Derek bowed his head. He knew all about losing people close to you.
"Allison could run this kingdom, easy, especially with all of us surrounding her. She's loved by the people. Not to say her father isn't. It's just that he's more respected than loved. He just needs to get his head out of his ass and realise that Scott would be able to support his daughter even more, not drag her down."
Derek tried hard to listen to Erica, but was finding it incredibly difficult when Stiles was climbing out of the lake half naked. Droplets of water were running down his pale, surprisingly muscled chest into the waistband of his underwear, causing him to look like he was sparkling in the sun and capturing Derek's attention completely. Erica noticed and scoffed, rolling her eyes.
"For the sake of the gods, are you trying to make this even more complicated?"
"Hm?" Derek murmured absentmindedly. Erica couldn't help but laugh.
"Oi, Stiles! I think this guy might need some attention right now!" Derek glared at her as she winked at him and jogged away to join the others in the lake.
Stiles grinned at Erica and casually sauntered towards Derek, smirking. The knight became uncomfortable very quickly, shifting slightly as Stiles plonked down next to him.
"I'm cold," the squire pouted and before Derek even thought about it, his coat was off and around Stiles' shoulders. Fuck, he thought, I'm so screwed. Stiles seemed to think the same thing and smiled sadly.
"This'll never work," he stated. Derek didn't know what to say. He'd been so focused on the present, the constant light that Stiles emanated, rather than the future. He'd all but forgotten that he was expected to marry a princess in a week.
"Well not with that attitude," Derek grumbled. Stiles laughed. Derek loved that sound already. He couldn't get enough of it.
"I'd love to try it," Stiles offered," but I couldn't deal with the heartbreak when you marry Allison. The King is one stubborn son of a bitch. He's not going to change his mind."
"So why don't we run away?" The words escaped Derek's mouth unexpectedly.
"Run away?" Stiles echoed, frowning," I couldn't run away. My whole family is here, my whole life! I can't just leave."
"Then at least give me this week? Please? Give me this time to know you. That's all I ask."
"It's pointless, Derek!" Stiles was annoyed now and rose to his feet," Don't you understand?! You're going to end up marrying Allison and there's nothing anyone can do about it! Don't try and hurt me. It's not fair."
Derek got onto his knees, gripping Stiles' hips so he couldn't run away.
"Please. I'm begging you. I don't think I could live life without you in it now. It'd be like blocking out the Sun." Stiles looked shocked at his little confession. He fell to his knees as well and hugged Derek.
"Okay," he whispered," just this week."
***************************************
Allison and Scott appeared as if nothing had happened a few evenings later. The King's yelling could be heard right across the city (or so it was rumoured) but only Boyd heard him break down into tears, begging Allison never to do that again.
"Please, I can't lose you too," he wept, now on his knees. Allison tried to stay strong against the man who was forcing her into a marriage neither party really wanted. Lydia had caught her up of the romance that had sparked between Stiles and the knight. Good old Stiles. But this was her father. The man who had raised her as best he could after her mother died and she didn't want to let him down. But a life without Scott wasn't worth living.
"Father, you gave me no choice," she said calmly, also getting down onto her knees to look him in the eye," because every time you say that I cannot be with Scott, it feels like a stab to my heart and I cannot bear to think about what life would be like with someone else. Sir Hale does not want this marriage either. Let him go. Let me marry Scott instead. Please!"
The King sighed,
"Allison, you don't understand-,"
"No, I understand perfectly well," she hissed, getting to her feet," because of the stupid traditions of man, I am expected to marry someone of the same stupid social rank because love doesn't come into politics. But that is not fair. Generations have suffered with this problem, but I refuse to stand by and just let myself be used like some pawn. Do you not think that I will be much stronger with someone by my side who I love? Not someone who I don't even know? I don't understand why love is seen as a weakness when surely you are much more likely to defend and support what you love. Wouldn't you leave your kingdom is the hands of a couple you can truly trust? You don't even know this knight! How do you know we can even trust him?"
The King was quiet for a while. His daughter made a good point.
"Listen to me Allison. I have made a declaration to the court as well as the entire kingdom that you are marrying a knight worthy to be King in three days. In the tournament for your hand, Sir Hale won. That means that he is automatically going to be the most worthy suitor for you. So, unless you can come up with a way in which Scott can be seen as more worthy than Sir Hale, then please do tell. But until then, there's nothing I can do."
***************************************
Meanwhile, Stiles and Derek lay near the lake that the group had shared with the knight, hands intertwined, gazing up at the stars. Merlin and Stiles' horse, Kira, were grazing nearby; they seemed to be getting along splendidly, much to Derek's surprise.
"Come on," Stiles whined, absentmindedly playing with Derek's fingers," I've told you all about my family - tell me some secrets from you past, great Sir." Derek groaned.
"It's much too complicated," he insisted," I'd prefer to not talk about them."
"You have a big fight?"
"No," Derek replied quickly," never. We never fight. Not properly. I just wanted to get away from it all. Where I come from, rank may be just as important but it doesn't matter what gender you are. My sister is next in line for my father's throne so I took that as my opportunity to escape and explore the world for myself. I didn't want to have to depend on my family's name or money for the rest of my life."
"Wait...so where do you come from?" Stiles questioned.
"Far East," Derek replied bluntly. He knew where this was going. He didn't want to have to explain his family and scare Stiles away.
"What, the mountains? Or Pike's End?" Stiles frowned. Derek laughed. This kid really had never been out of the city.
"No, further than that. Much further. Beyond the Wastelands."
"Beyond?! But I thought there was nothing beyond the Wastelands!"
"Oh there is so much," Derek sighed, feeling a rare wave of homesickness," so much beauty and life. I'll have to take you sometime."
"Do your family travel?" Here we go, Derek thought.
"Not much beyond the Wastelands. Only my sister and I have ventured this far."
"But shouldn't the next heir always be in the kingdom just in case?"
"My older sister, Laura, is the next heir. Cora, our little sister is the one who travels. We sometimes happen across each other on our journeys, but that's rare. We only really meet up back home for everyone's birthdays. Thankfully most of them are in the summer so we go back for August mainly and then back in the winter for Christmas and our mother's birthday."
"Wow," Stiles sighed, looking back up to the stars," beyond the Wastelands...,"
"I'll have to take you some day," Derek blurted before he could stop himself. His embarrassment disappeared when Stiles gazed up at him with a huge grin plastered on his lips.
"Really?!" he whispered, his eyes wide with excitement. Derek smiled,
"Of course." Then a frown crumpled Stiles' features.
"But you won't be able to leave the castle after you marry Allison," he remembered sadly.
"They can't force me to stay here," Derek growled, the sudden flare of anger surprising him. Stiles' eyes widened yet again, but this time Derek glimpsed fear and wonder rather than excitement.
"Derek...what...y-your eyes...what's happening to you?"
Derek scrambled away from Stiles, staring at his hands as his nails lengthened and he felt his canines sharpening in his mouth, poking out from between his lips.
"Fuck," he muttered before noticing Stiles standing and stepping towards him," No! Stiles get back!"
He looked up to the sky and saw the full moon hanging above the trees, shining down at him as if was mocking his ignorance. He'd completely forgotten about the full moon. All this drama had distracted him so much. And Stiles. Okay, mainly Stiles.
"Derek...are you...?" Stiles couldn't finish his question. He was grinning too much. Derek scowled,
"Stiles this isn't in the least bit amusing, get away from me now! Get back to the castle and stay there!" Stiles burst out laughing and Derek was shocked to see tears of happiness leaking from his eyes. The boy rushed forward and jumped into Derek's arms. The knight couldn't force himself to push him away, gripping onto him tightly but careful to watch his claws on Stiles' delicate white skin.
"Why. Are. You. Laughing," Derek growled, trying desperately hard to ignore the urge to bite Stiles' gorgeous throat.
"So you are a werewolf!" Stiles cried, gripping Derek tighter. His confusion was so intense that he managed to shake himself out of his sudden bloodlust and regain control of his senses, pushing his wolf back down.
"And you're not-why are you laughing?" Derek gasped, still shocked about forgetting about the moon. Stiles was still laughing, his tears now wetting the side of Derek's face.
Stiles completely caught him off guard when he planted his lips on Derek's.
Yet it only took a second for Derek to return the sign of affection, carding his fingers through Stiles' hair after retracting his nails. Stiles pulled away to shower Derek's whole face in kisses, with the older man growling lowly in appreciation. Not purring. Cats purr.
"But I don't understand...why aren't you running right now?" Derek wondered aloud. Stiles snorted.
"Oh come on, like it wasn't already obvious from the sigil. I mean, there were rumours, but we don't really get much truth being this far away from the Wastelands. Your family are kinda legendary. Almost too legendary seeing as not many people believe that they're actually werewolves. But you are! That means my ma was right! Which also means that you can't marry Allison! Why didn't you tell us sooner? Gods, we could've avoided all this moping and disappointment! I could've been kissing you all this time!" Stiles sucked in a large breath, having not breathed once during his ramble. He tended to do that. Derek was still confused.
"Legendary on this side of the Wastelands? My family? Wait, why does this mean the princess can't marry me? Why are you so okay with me being a werewolf?"
"You think werewolves could run an entire kingdom and nobody would notice? Do you not realise that the Silvers are the kingdom next to us, right? Cause they're werewolves. The King's ancestors were known to hunt werewolves, so the King will never allow his daughter to mix their bloodline. That will never happen. Not that he's not a cool guy or anything, I mean, he banned werewolf hunting and made peace with our wolfy neighbours, but he's not about to let his daughter marry one. And your family? Well you can't bring about peace between multiple wolf packs without someone noticing. Clearly you're not as sneaky as you think you are, Hale," Stiles smirked.
Derek stopped listening to him after he had confirmation that he couldn't marry the princess. That was all he needed to hear. He fell to his knees in front of Stiles, startling the boy.
"Come with me to my kingdom? I promise you'll love it and I'll take care of you and keep you safe and give you whatever you want and love you and-." Stiles' hand cut him off.
"All you needed to do was ask," he smiled," but, duh, of course I'll go with you! Finally go and travel the world like I've always wanted to!" Derek grinned and picked Stiles up by his hips, whirling him around as they both laughed giddily.
"Gods, that was incredibly cliché," Stiles groaned as Derek put him back on his feet," and now I'm really dizzy, how do people do this?" Derek just laughed.
"Let's go and get this mess cleared up."
***************************************
Scott was overjoyed. Allison actually burst into tears. Lydia let a lone, happy tear fall from her eye, the very picture of elegance at all times. The twins would not stop asking Derek questions whilst Jackson and Boyd have him a firm handshake, even cracking a smile. The King was unsure of how to feel, but settled with happy when he saw how happy his daughter was.
Stiles couldn't wait to get going, but he'd promised to be Scott's best man so they had to put their plans on hold for another fortnight. Derek met Stiles' father, a kind, but incredibly intimidating man, despite his shorter stature. He made Derek promise numerous times to watch out for Stiles at all costs, as well as make sure he was well looked after and cared for. Stiles grumbled about Captain Stilinski babying him.
Derek's family loved Stiles. His mother insisted on finding out every detail about Stiles' life, unfortunately starting off with questions about his parents. Derek had already found that his mother had passed away several years before, but thankfully Stiles got along with his mother and sister wonderfully despite the awkward questions. Derek's father warmed just as easily to the boy, as did the rest of his friends and family at home.
Derek kept his word to Stiles' father and they returned three and a half years later after travelling anywhere and everywhere with a newborn baby girl wrapped in Stiles' arms. The Captain was mortified to find out that once a human is claimed by a male wolf, their biology immediately adapts so that they're able to bear children. However his horror died down once he held his granddaughter, named Claudia after Stiles' mother. He even shed a tear, a fact he'd wholeheartedly deny until the day he died.
Allison ruled with the fairness and grace that Stiles had always known she would, with Scott by her side supporting her and the rest of their friends around her. Isaac had met Cora and they'd gone off together travelling, whilst Erica settled with Boyd, eventually both becoming the heads of the King and Queen's Guards respectively. Lydia and Jackson had also gotten married, an occasion that none of them missed (otherwise Lydia would've been sure to have them lose a limb or something of the sort).
Derek and Stiles eventually decided to settle down in both of their kingdoms; the Hales one year, the Argents the next (yes, Scott took her last name). They thought about travelling again once Claudia was older, but then came along twin boys and then another little girl and they forgot about the concept of travel all together. By the time their children were travelling themselves, the pair were content enjoying the company of the other. Derek could never get enough of the boy with constellations on his skin.