A Prince's Harem

Him

To be frank, Will was nervous with the choices he'd made within the past thirty hours, or perhaps he was terrified, he could not quite tell at that moment in time.

Silence filled the room as he ate dinner with his husband the next night at Frostine Manor, the second scheduled place on their honeymoon tour. Tango was with his sister and Impulse was asleep if he remembered correctly.

Dinner itself felt significantly more formal than he was used to but it was good practice for future state dinners and official appearances, or at least that is what he assumed as he took a bite of steak.

Scott noted the look of unease on his husband's face when he eventually looked up from his paperwork and turned to place it to the side, "Are you feeling better this evening my dear?" he questioned gently.

Will nodded dismissively, only half listening in to what he was asked, rethinking his life choices slightly as he took a bite of his food, "Fine."

Scott went to say something else but thought against it when he noted the distracted nature of his husband, instead he returned to his paperwork as they ate in an uncomfortable silence.

"I let him go this morning," Will broke the air of heavy silence in the dining room, "Elyas that is."

"What?" Scott set his paper down again as he did a double take at the random, surprising, revelation from the prince by marriage.

Will made eye contact from across the table, resting his cutlery on the table as he spoke, "I do not want him in my life and if letting him go peacefully was the way to achieve it then so be it, I sent a rider out this morning to have him released."

"He hurt you Will," Scott replied cautiously, not wanting to appear like he disagreed openly with Will's decision, "I don't want to see him hurt you again."

"He made his choices but that was his decision. My choice was to let him go and rid him from my life and our homes for good. Elyas is a horrible man but making enemies with his crew is not a smart move," Will shrugged a little, "I am a believer in second chances, he stays away from us and he can have his freedom. Elyas made his choice and I made mine, can we leave it at that please?"

"If you are absolutely sure then I will drop the subject in its entirety," Scott nodded in support.

Will opened his mouth to speak again but stopped when Apo came into the room and whispered something in his ear, causing him to stand up quickly, "Of course, we go now."

"Will? What's going on?" Scott looked between his husband and Will's attendant.

"Pix," Will drew the attention of his husband's guard towards him with the commanding tone in his voice, "Take Their Royal Highnesses to the carriages at once," he commanded with an odd level of calm in his voice, "Leave for Naturalis at once."

"Pix, you will stand down," Scott replied, grabbing his sword from a nearby chair, "Will, what is going on? Please tell me anything at all."

"I am trying to protect you, Scott! And Tango's older sister is here too and I will not have her hurt, nor will I let harm come to Impulse or Tango," Will turned on his heel.

"I am the prince of this kingdom! It is my duty to protect my people!" Scott replied, taking a step towards Will, "No matter the cost, I live to protect them!"

"And I am your beloved! It is my duty to protect you above all else! Scott, I love you. I humbly beg of you, as my lord husband, to forgive me," Will turned towards one of his confidants, "Jojo, please ensure His Royal Highness gets to the carriage then I am entrusting the care and safety of Princess Calida to you," and without another word, Will left the room with Apo by his side.

"Will, what is happening? Why is him coming this big of a deal? He said he is peaceful," Apo questioned, casually pulling a dagger from his shoe with a surprising amount of effortlessness as they walked.

"Normally I'd be quite concerned that you just have a knife attached to you seemingly all the time but that's besides the point," Will was dismissing staff from the building as they walked, "At this moment in time I am grateful."

"I always carry a knife, the perks of growing up the way I did," Apo shrugged, "Would it shock you if I told you I had at least four more?"

"It would not shock me one bit," Will chuckled, his voice tense, "But to answer your question, it is because of who he works for, what he has done in the past and what he wants with me."

The Princess Regent of the Nether suddenly appeared behind them, "Do not even argue, I am on your side of this no matter what happens, your lady, Jojo, informed me that the palace is being evacuated."

"The second things get bad, you and Apo are to leave at once, that is my terms. You rank higher than me and I am not married to you so I cannot stop you from doing as you please but I can ask you to consider your family," Will replied.

"Understood," Calida pulled her hair up into a bun, "Do either of you have a spare knife?"

Apo nodded slightly, casually unstrapping a second dagger from his leg without stumbling, handing it off to the blaze hybrid, "A dagger for Your Royal Highness."

"Please, call me Calida," the princess smiled, taking the dagger into to her hands, "Thank you."

Will turned the corner and froze, coming face to face with the human seven years his junior, placing the hand on the hold of his sword as the blue eyed brunette addressed him.

"Hello Will."

"Shep."