A Prince's Harem

Wings

"Are you sure you don't want to let your wings out to stretch and preen?" The royal Fae was growing concerned about how much Will was shifting uncomfortably in his arms.

"I am fine, I can survive," it was such a nonchalant reply, almost like it had been programmed into him for his entire life, someone else's answer given through his mouth.

The prince decided to try again, for his fiancé's health and safety, "They must be so painful love, you write about not being allowed to have them out often and I understand that it hurts to have to contain them in that way," Scott cooed, playing with his fiancé's hands lovingly.

The slight edge of a harsh burn crept out from beneath Will's gloves but alas, nothing that caught anyone's attention.

"I..." he glanced around the room at how many people were there, not wanting to reveal them to everyone at once in case Scott would force him to put them back.

"Compromise, Kat and Shub stay? They will be part of the marriage anyway but until then, they are my staff and dear friends," Scott offered kindly, the thought of trying to force the wings away never once even crept into his mind.

Will nodded a little, feeling guilty about making Scott get rid of people for him, he knew that they should be grateful that the prince was even acknowledging his existence.

If Scott ever found out about the things Will was thinking, he'd be having a field day with the person who put the ideas in Will's head.

"Thank you," Will whispered to Scott, trying to ignore the voices in his head.

"Cleo, if you could have Will's belongings moved to the suite for consorts? It will make it easier for when we return to my palace tomorrow after tonight's ball," Scott faces his green skinned companion, smiling at his dear friend.

"You don't have to do that! I don't want to be a bother to you, you must be busy with the ball tonight!" Will protested, their eyes quickly widening when he realised that they had spoken out of turn and he bowed his head in apology to those who outranked him.

He knew that Scott definitely outranked him, being a prince and all.

Cleo also outranked him, she was a lady in her own right and he was only the son of a human viscount.

"It's really no problem My Lord, we can have it down quite quickly," Cleo smiled politely, waving off his worries with a simple smile on their face.

"Will dear, I promise that if they weren't doing this, they'd literally be gossiping and packing their own stuff for tomorrow so do not fret, everything will be alright dear and everything will be finished up," Scott reassured him, "Cleo, you are dismissed," he smiled, waving his friends off with a small smile.

Once the staff had vacated the room, Will sighed, shedding his overshirt to reveal his wings, pushed up against his undershirt in an uncomfortable position, the feathers were askew and looked to be hurting the future consort.

The feathers were a deep shade of blue at the top and the feathers faded into a snowy white at the bottom of the lord's wings.

"Oh void! Dear, that cannot be comfortable! Oh love, are you alright?" Scott was fretting like the concerned fiancé he was, wanting to make sure Will was comfortable and safe.

Will grabbed Scott's hand tightly, wincing as he stretched out the wings, "Oh that hurt!" He whined, shaking out a few loose feathers, "I'm sorry about your floor, I can clean it up."

"No apologies, it's alright dear, do you want help preening your wings?" Scott offered, he knew that Fae wings were different from avian wings in their senses plus years of preening his own wings qualified him to give a hand should Will want it.

Will smirked playfully, closing his eyes slowly to let a small amount of water from a nearby goblet fly around and cleaned his wings, the designs it created around his head as it worked oddly resembled a crown.

Once the water settled as glass like crystallised jewellery around the boy's neck and ears, Scott spoke up, "Your mother was a water and frost Fae, wasn't she?"

Will nodded, he was always happier when his mother was praised for her abilities, "She was, talented too, but I wonder if I would be any better at my abilities if she had been around to help me learn," the break in their voice was not missed by Scott.

"I'm sure that the Viscountess-"

"Please don't call her that. Everyone calls her that and sometimes I hate it. I hate that she is delegated to my father's title instead of her own," Will was finding his confidence now, he would do anything to protect their mother's legacy, she was his mother before she was anything else.

"Your mother was the daughter of a Duke, yeah?" Scott tried to remember one of the lessons from his tutor about relations between the regions of the Fae Realm, the one where Aquatia and Frostine were mentioned.

"Only daughter, only child," Will confirmed, nodding.

"Will, love, you are aware that your grandfather is dead right?" Scott was blunt as ever, but he was sure Will wouldn't care about the late Duke.

Katherine's eyes widened and she whispered to Shelby, the two giggling between each other that their revelation, they clocked on quite quickly to what Scott was implying.

"Yeah he is, ages ago, around the time I was conceived, I don't understand what that has to do with this though?"

"Your Grace," Katherine spoke up, drawing Will's attention from Scott to her.

"Please call me Will, and really it's only My Lord if you must be formal, I am not noble enough to be addressed as 'Your Grace'," Will smiled kindly to his future husband's future wife.

"Will, sweetheart, when your grandfather had died, the title would have gone to your mother and since you are her only child and heir..." Scott explained slowly to help his fiancé pick up what he was putting down.

Will blinked slowly as the realisation dawned on him, "It should have passed to me."

"You, My Lord, are absolutely untouchable. You are a Duke of two duchies, betrothed to the Crowned Prince," Shelby smiled softly, she'd heard Merton's screams before at staff and she had a sneaking suspicion that he spoke to Will in that way too but she didn't like making accusations without any evidence.

Will took a deep breath in to let the information set in, "Scott, tonight, may I be announced as such, as a way to remind certain people of who my mother was?"

"It's your right love, of course, I'll let Owen know to speak to my father's page or perhaps I'll get her to announce you specifically," Scott promised, "Now, what to dress you in so I can show off my handsome fiancé?"

Will blushed yet again, lowering his head to hide in his hands to avoid his very noticeable red tint being seen by the girls.

"You are so cute," Scott chuckled teasingly.