You With Us

10- A Spellbound Life

((This chapter's audience question isn't about a character, but rather a place. I thought it might be fun to let you as the readers help choose the name of the Kingdom King Enji Todoroki rules and that Izuku is a citizen of. Drop your name suggestions here! ➡️➡️➡️
And happy reading!))

Izuku, Katsuki, and Ejiro had rejoined Captain Tensei's company of soldiers late in the evening after leaving the village of Wïerarn. The omega had been sore and far more tired than he had ever remembered being before by the time he'd entered a silently sleeping camp He'd insisted on walking the entire way, feeling new strength from standing up to Monamo and seeing his sire laid out cold on the floor. His knuckles were bruised and scraped up from where he had punched Monamo. Katsuki had pointed out the marks with a hint of pride in his voice. But Izuku had turned away offers to bandage his hands. And he'd promised himself he could be as strong as the two alphas and walk the whole way back to camp.
He'd regretted turning down the numerous offers of the two alphas to carry him, be both growing more worried and placating as the miles had crawled passed and the omega remained stubborn. Mina had tutted after Katsuki had insisted on waking her and bringing her to re-dress Izuku's healing wounds, dirtied bandages, and bloodied, blistered feet.
While bruised bones were on the mend, the healer had frowned as she mixed herbs and powders into a pot of warm water, which she then sat at the weary omega's feet. Izuku had been too tired to ask what was in the water, but had simply allowed the pink haired omega make him sit and gently lift his feet and place them in the bowl.
"You've had an exciting day. But there will be more excitement to come, far more, indeed. You cannot push yourself this much. I'm honestly surprised these two oafs let you get to this point." She said, glancing accusingly at Izuku's escorts. Ejiro looked down guiltily, but Katsuki prickled at the words. "What would you have us do? Toss him over our backs like a sack of turnips? He wanted to walk, okay? We were there to help, and reminded the little shit a hundred times that we were! I'm not going to force him to stay off his feet if he insists on fucking walking himself to death! That's his choice. Neither Ei or I are going to carry him if he doesn't want us to! We brought him here, didn't we. We're doing the best we can."
Mina's frown deepened, but she had dismissed both alphas who had trudged off to go set up their tents nearby.
Izuku stared down at the bowl, watching bits of leaf and flecks of unknown powders swirl about around his aching feet.
"He's right you know." Mina said, gently as she had pulled a chair up besides the greenette. "They are there to help, but only if you ask of it."
Izuku shrugged. "They've helped b-before without as-asking. When th-the slavers had us, when m-my f-father tried to at-t-tack, when-"
"Yes, yes," Mina cut in. "When there was danger, they acted first, asked later. But that's different. Those boys may be big, tough alphas, but Izuku, you're an omega."
Izuku blinked, trying to understand, but clearly missing something.
Mina had seen that her point was not getting across. She sighed. "Forgive me. I forget still that you have been, not only raised up north away from most of our kingdom's cultures, but also away from alphas. Izuku, no alpha here can force you to do anything you don't wish to do. It's against the law. To force an omega to do something against their will is truly a most grievous act."
Izuku had physically balked at that, sitting back in his chair and shaking his head rapidly. If that were the case, his childhood would have been very different. "There's n-n-o way that's t-true!" He had protested.
"Keep your feet in the water please." Mina entreatied, as she'd watched the male omega splash water over the lip of the bowl.
"It's true." She had continued once the omega apologized and settled down. "There are, sadly, out of the way places, like your village, that get overlooked by the law. Being so far from the king and his enforcers makes them lax in following the rules set before them, just like in your case. But I can assure you, that, unless it is life or death, no alpha or beta is allowed to force any omega to do something they do not agree to. That includes recognizing a stubborn omega who is bleeding on his own sandals and not listening when he is asked if he can rest his feet. And," Mina continued, "besides there being laws, it's also ingrained into every one of these soldiers to protect us omega's above all else. We are their future! Yes, they are bigger and physically stronger, but their weakness is being blind to all else when it comes to our comfort. The royal family comes first and then after that, omegas are the most treasures citizens in the land. Alphas want to help, but cannot deny their duty to the law, their natural instinct, and then, well there's magic involved as well."
Izuku was still baffled though. "B-but alphas can d-do anything! T-take anything! How can one l-l-law change that? And what m-magic?"
Mina smiled sadly at Izuku as she lifted one of the injured omega's feet from the water and began lightly dabbing it dry so she could rub a soothing balm into the broken skin there.
"In other lands, and in other times, you would be right." Mina admitted. "Alphas used to do as they wished, to whomever they wished. Omega's were at the mercy of those stronger than them. Our kind was forced to be slaves of alphas. But then King Enji's grandfather, King Shouya, a great alpha in his own time, sired only three omegan children as his bloodline. The king, realizing that his blood would be at the mercy of the rest of the world, summoned his strongest magicians and sorcerers. He ordered them to create a magic that would bind alphas to omegas. For this to work, every alpha was brought forward and made to receive the spell. Some chose to flee to other kingdoms. Those who are not within our borders still can resist that spell to this day. But whenever an alpha presents, they are brought to a group of magicians known as The Eight Eyes and the spell is woven into their very nature.
Alphas went from dealing with feral, primal instincts to being focused on protection. They went from always fighting amongst themselves to being able to unite as one body, one army, working together.
This spell makes alphas unable to stop an omega from doing something, unless the act is illegal or they are in danger. Alphas feel discomfort and some have even reported feeling pain when witnessing omegas in pain themselves. Keep that in mind, Izuku.
Also, one side effect of the spell was that bond bites grew into a tradition.
Some strange loophole of the spell happens when an omega gives an alpha permission to bite them. Some speculate it has to do with omegas giving permission to cause harm, yet, since alphas cannot hurt omegas intentionally, the bond bites does not hurt. At least, not in a bad way."
Izuku stared at Mina, unblinking. He had never once heard of this before. Well, not anything besides knowing that alphas used to be far more feral in the past.
"Betas were not effected by the spell, so, King Shouya also passed a law prohibiting harm to omegas. His three heirs lived happy lives. His oldest daughter was the mother to King Enji, who himself took Queen Rei, an omega to be his mate. She is the one who forsees all omegas within the city of Aveandor. Once you are registered, you'll have an audience with the queen herself!"
"Re-registered?" The greenette asked, mentally reeling from the sudden history lesson.
Mina nodded infaticaly. "Yes! Anyone who besides within Aveandor must be registered. It's simple enough. For the census, your name, place of birth, genders, and a few other things are recorded. Then, it is easier to assign you to housing and work."
Mina noticed that her words did not seem to have a very calming effect on her patient. "You... You were told of this before, yes?" She asked, fearing that she already knew the answer. Izuku meekly shook his head no.
The pink haired healer sighed, shoulders slumping. She had told herself to give Izuku's guards an ear full the next morning. As she finished applying clean linen bandages to Izuku's abused feet, she patted him gently in one knee. "Well, nothing to worry yourself over. Once we get to the Capitol, there will be a few simple questions for you, then, we wait for the queen to send for you. That is all you need to know for now. Us omegas are well taken care of in Aveandor. The city provides for us and we provide for the city. Now, those two knuckleheads should have set up their tents and yours as well by now. Think you can walk?"
Izuku did not want to think of walking. His whole body ached from the longest walk of his life yet. But he simply nodded as he focused on the prospect of standing.
As he stood up slowly and stiffly, the greenette heard two sets of footsteps behind him.
"Ah, perfect timing." Mina clapped her hands together as Ejiro and Katsuki returned to Izuku's side. First allowing a massive yawn to escape, Mina addressed the trio as she put away her medical supplies into a tidy wooden box. "Izuku is fine to walk for short distances. If he is stubborn again, one of you come find me. For tonight, the three of you need to be off to bed, or how else am I to return to my own sleep?"
With much apologizing for the disturbance and thanks for the help- something that seemed to please the healer, Izuku was led away from the healer's tent.
Izuku had felt, for the first time since leaving his home, awkward and unsure of what to say. He was still trying to process all of the information he had just learned. Ejiro was the first to notice when Izuku stopped limping along and gently knelt on one knee to look at Izuku. "I know you can do it on your own, but may I please give your feet and legs a break? You should be proud of how far you traveled on your own today. But even the strongest warrior needs rest." Ejiro had been surprised to see the new desire from Izuku to walk independently that day. It had partly pleased him, but more than anything, the consequences of his insistence had worried the alpha.
Katsuki had tried to act aloof and unconcerned to the situation, but the blonde hadn't fooled his friend. Ejiro knew that the other alpha had worried just as much as he had.