“Oh darling…” the face of the woman crouched before the small boy was laden with sympathy. “My little prince, I know you wish to play but we have discussed this already, have we not, Seokjinnie? You have to finish your lessons first.” The woman chided the boy, but there was fondness in her eyes too.

The boy – Prince Seokjin – clasped his mother’s hands in his, his voice resembling a whine as he spoke next. “But mother, the lessons are just so dull! I cannot help but doze off.” The prince pouted. ” And when I do, the old tutor hits me on the head with his scrolls!” He exclaimed.

The queen laughed softly, caressing her son’s cheek. “Come on, then, let us go back. I am certain that Sir Lee is still waiting for you in your study.”

“Nooooo!” the young prince whined, “I do not want to go back! I don’t like Sir Lee and besides, I can just study when I grow older.”  

The queen smiled at her son and the boy’s face brightened; after all, he loved his mother’s smile. However, the queen’s attendant, Hyejin, could see the deep sadness in her eyes.

“But my boy, we do not know what the future holds. You have to do your best when you have the chance to.” The queen patted the boy on his head. “Not everything lasts forever, Seokjinnie.”

***

The queen sat on a chair that had been pulled up by the bed, a damp wash cloth in her hand. She dabbed the cloth against Seokjin’s sweaty forehead, wiping the sweat away while the boy writhed and twisted among the silken sheets.

“He is going to be so devastated, my queen.” Hyejin took the cloth from the queen’s hand to rinse it in a basin of water.

Seokjin’s mother sighed as her son clutched tighter at her hand, the pain of his first heat scorching his insides.

“I worry about him.” The queen consort confided in her attendant, her closest friend apart from her husband- the king- and her two sons. “He is a free spirit, but now that he is an omega he will not have the freedom to do as he pleases.”

“But still, he is the crown prince and His Majesty loves him dearly. I would like to think that the council would not dare to impose too many restrictions on the prince.”

The queen shook her head, brushing away her son’s matted hair from his forehead as the last bout of heat died down and Seokjin curled up on his side.

“The King’s council would not approve if Jinnie’s behavior in the future is anything but that of a perfect omega.” She stated. “It is just the way our world works. Outside our homes omegas have no power and no say in politics.”

“But My Queen, do you not always say that not everything lasts forever?” Hyejin asked. The Queen herself was an omega, but she too had no power in the palace. However, she was an intelligent and lettered person and would often ramble on to Hyejin for hours about the many amazing versions of the future that she had dreamt up during her younger years. “The world is bound to change, is it not?”

“I very much hope so, dear. And I would love to see that change come about while my boys are still young, so that they could be able to decide their future themselves.” she withdrew her hand from where it was clutched in Seokjin’s sweaty palm and stood up, smoothing down her gown. “Shall we go draw a bath for him now, Hyejin? After the last three days I imagine he would be very exhausted when he wakes later.”

“Yes, my lady.”

***

Prince Seokjin was the finest example that one could use to illustrate that nothing lasts forever.

The omega prince was fourteen now, it being almost a year since he had presented and had his first heat, and he lived in luxury and comfort of the royal palace of the Lupa Kim Clan.

Seokjin ate the most delicious food, had the rarest breeds of horse in the palace stables, had hundreds of servants at his beck and call and dressed in the best clothes - made from the most expensive material and only by the most expert of the seamstresses and tailors in the kingdom.

But Seokjin was an omega.

The food tasted bland because the only company he ever had for meals – apart from the occasional dinners with his father, the King – where the omega mates of the court advisors and the king’s council. They were never the best company; always talking about being docile, submitting to alphas and birthing pups. Occasionally there would be talks of a presumed affair happening between a noble alpha and omega, which Seokjin found a little bit more interesting than the other conversational topics, but those too soon lost their novelty to him.

The horses in his stables were just for show too, since he wasn’t actually allowed to learn how to ride them.

The clothes were too gaudy for his liking anyway, and besides, with how many sewing lessons he’s been taking in the last year alone, Seokjin was sure that given a few more years he would be able to sew clothes a hundred times better than the ones he wore now.

The servants too, often spoke to each other in dialects or local languages that Seokjin wasn’t familiar with, and more often than not he was sure that they were probably talking bad about him.

The most horrible experience about being an omega though, was the alphas’ behavior towards him.

He was looked down upon, his opinions ignored and his wants overlooked as much as possible. To the alphas in the palace, who were mainly either on the King’s council or the palace guard, Seokjin was almost invisible. Sure, they would bow and greet him in the halls but that was as far as their respect for him went. 

And then there was the Alpha Voice. His new tutor was one of his father’s advisors who had a nasty knack for always using his alpha status to order omegas around, and so he often used his Voice on Seokjin when he refused to study or talked back.

What Sir Jung and every other alpha in the palace did not know, however, was the fact that the Alpha Voice had no effect on the Prince and that Seokjin would burst into laughter when in private after pretending to follow the alpha’s command until the other was out of sight. He was glad that he at least had this advantage and no one but his mother and her personal attendant Hyejin knew of this fact. Not even the King or his younger brother, Prince Jungkook.

But now there would be only one person who would know.

The final blow to Seokjin’s ever dampening spirit came half a dozen days ago in the form of the Queen’s death.

A complicated pregnancy, They said, The pup was too big to be birthed and the Queen did not survive the difficult labour.

Seokjin did not cry – at least not immediately. He went to see his mother’s now lifeless body, and then to comfort his brother and then finally he sought out the King. Ever a stoic man, his father exuded authority, not showing any emotion. But Seokjin was old enough to understand their parents’ mannerisms when in private and he could say with complete confidence that they loved each other earnestly and ardently. This made it easier for him to see past his father’s faux display of composure and he wrapped his arms around the King when they were finally left alone in the room and his father let the façade fall away, crying silent tears.

His father’s grief had been silent and mellow in nature, but his brother’s was not. The 12 year old prince clutched at Seokjin’s robes and Hyejin’s hands while he bawled out his eyes, sobbing violently before finally falling asleep with his head in his older brother’s lap.

It was in the privacy of his own bedchamber’s – devoid of any prying eyes – that Seokjin finally collapsed, tears flowing freely as he sniffled into his pillows, trying to muffle the sounds of his crying.

***

It was during his mother’s wake that Seokjin saw a faerie for the first time.

The nymph faerie was an envoy of sorts from the Woodlands, sent to pay respects to the queen on behalf of all the Woodland faeries.

Seokjin had gawked at the fairy open-mouthed, simply amazed at the sight, until Hyejin nudged him to focus. The envoy was tall and slender, skin pale like milk and had pink hair that reached her waist. She was adorned in garments made of leaves and flowers and green stems all of which seemed to have a life of their own as they shifted around and made the patterns on her gown change.

As to her age, however, Seokjin couldn’t say for sure. She seemed very young – too young to hold an important position such as an envoy of a whole race - but he knew that faeries aged differently from humans and shape-shifters.

He watched as the lady gazed upon his mother’s body in the glass casket. Seokjin gasped when flowers appeared inside the coffin - simply out of thin air - as the woman put her hand to the glass lid. His mother looked serene lying among the colorful blossoms and the Prince sent a silent thank you to the faerie envoy for the small yet beautiful gesture.

***

Seokjin’s mother had been put to rest in the castle’s tomb where all the ancestors of the Lupa Kim clan and their mates were buried.

Everything in the kingdom went back to how it had been before his mother’s passing, but for the crown prince nothing was the same again.

Seokjin was now a fairly recently presented omega with no support and no say in anything – be it related to issues of their kingdom or his own life. His mother had been his anchor since the day he had presented – and all his life before that too. The number of times he had come crying or complaining to her when someone treated him ill or used an Alpha Voice on him just because they could were too many and Seokjin remembered the queen patting his back gently as she lulled him to sleep through all of his tantrums. But now he had no one to turn to when he was hurt.

Instead, he took his mother’s role upon himself and cared for his little brother, Jungkook, who tried so hard to be strong and not reveal his troubles to the older. Seokjin had felt both thankful and heartbroken for the little boy.

The only saving grace had been his father, the King.

The day after the wake Seokjin was summoned to the King’s study and his father had spent the whole day with his eldest son, even going as far as to forgo the daily court meeting with the council. That day, the king had told him that Seokjin shouldn’t lower himself to others just because he was an omega, he urged his son to learn and be an intelligent person like the queen had been.

That evening, before Seokjin departed for his own chambers to retire for the night, his father had placed a heavy leather pouch into the palm of his hand. The pouch contained a heavy iron key-ring with dozens of keys hanging from it. They were keys to all the important rooms and chambers in the castle and the King had granted Seokjin access to all of them, provided that no one ever saw Seokjin go into them of course. And by no one he had meant his advisors and all of the knights and guards in the palace.

Seokjin had felt immense happiness at the knowledge that his father would not be restricting him because he needed to learn how to be a proper omega, but that happiness turned out to be short lived as well.

As the days went on the Prince had to come to terms with the fact that it was simply impossible to avoid all the palace guards because there were just too many of them.

***

Seokjin ate, slept and attended all his omega lessons on singing, dancing, sewing and etiquette. Every day that went by was dull and monotone.

A few months passed and Jungkook presented as an alpha just a few weeks after his thirteenth birthday. The court had been overjoyed and a ball was immediately planned to celebrate the event – after all, it was the first joyous occasion that the palace had seen in months!   

Seokjin and Jungkook had grown extremely close over the span of the past few months and the younger was almost always seen trailing behind his brother - unless it was time for their lessons, of course. They couldn’t do anything about it even if they wanted to, because be it as it may, Seokjin was an omega and Jungkook an alpha. The lessons tailored for the two dynamics were too different in nature and while Seokjin learned how to sew, submit to alphas and obey his mate, Jungkook was taught how to wield a sword and ride a horse. The younger studied war tactics, politics and learned the languages spoken across their kingdom’s various regions.

But Jungkook never made Seokjin feel inferior. He never used his Voice on his older brother and never imposed his own opinions on the older. Instead he sought Seokjin for advice.

It should have made Seokjin happy - that his brother valued his opinion so much; but instead it only hurt him more because every time that the younger asked and he could not provide Jungkook an answer Seokjin felt useless. He was an illiterate omega who could not even sing or dance gracefully; a prince only in name.

***

The date was nearing Seokjin’s fifteenth birthday by the time the invitations were sent out and the preparations for the ball had begun, and the council took it upon themselves to put a little twist as to the nature of the ball. Besides being a celebration of the younger prince’s alpha presentation, it was now also a matchmaking event to find a suitable mate for the Crown Prince.

Seokjin’s mind froze for a good few moments upon hearing the news and when he had regained his senses enough he immediately rushed to seek an audience with the king.

He burst into his father’s study, running full speed and almost colliding face-first into the polished wooded doors. His father appeared calm and it was as if the king had expected this reaction from his eldest.

“Your Majesty!” Seokjin exclaimed as he stood in front of the large desk, the edge digging in harshly where it was pressed against the prince’s palms. “This cannot be true! What is this talk of marriage? Father, please –“

And before Seokjin or even the king could say anything else Jungkook burst into the room, heaving and panting for air. “Father, you cannot accept this proposal! You simply cannot do this to brother!” Seokjin felt his heart warm at his brother’s care for him.

“Please speak to the council, father. I beg you. And if it’s a marriage arrangement that they want then tell them that they could search for a match for me instead. I’m sure that that would satisfy them enough for the time being.”

And the warmth that he felt mere moments ago faded just like that, in an instant. His brother just turned thirteen! What marriage? It is better that he be the one that would be married off if it meant that the council wouldn’t bother Jungkook in this regard, if only for a few more years.  

The king laughed without any actual mirth to the action and it startled both of his sons into silence.

“I’m afraid, Jungkook, that I might have no other choice than to take you up on your suggestion, son.” Their father sighed, shoulder’s slumping as he passed Jungkook an unrolled scroll of parchment paper. “That is the only way to appease the advisors now.”

Jungkook’s eyes went wide as he scanned through the lines crawled in ink and Seokjin ached to know what the paper said.

The younger looked up at Seokjin, many emotions running across his features. “It is mother’s will.” He stated simply and Seokjin’s breath hitched.

“W-What does it…what does it say?” he asked, his voice shaking and barely a whisper but both Jungkook and his father had heard it.

The younger prince tried his best to decipher the words. It had been only a little over a month since he started learning to read and write and he could manage the basic sentences pretty well, but the more advanced vocabulary was difficult to understand. Jungkook swallowed the lump in his throat and after a while decided that for now he would read just the parts that concerned either him or his brother.

“Mother, she…made a list of suitable candidates for me to choose my future mate from. There are names here and sub-genders too, so I would have an option to choose from no matter what I would’ve presented as, I think.” Jungkook summarizes, going over the names in his mind. Out of all the names that his mother had written down the young prince knew only one. “She states here that her favorite is advisor Jung’s daughter.” The omega girl Jung Jiwoo was almost 2 years older than Jungkook, but she must have been a really good person for his mother to think so highly of her and recommend her candidature for Jungkook’s mate despite her being older.

As the younger prince pondered over his mother’s choice of mate candidates, Seokjin cringed inwardly at the mention of his tutor’s name. He knew that advisor Jung had two children, Jiwoo and Hoseok, both of whom were older than Seokjin by a few years, but other than that he had no idea.

His tutor, however, was a horrible alpha and an even more horrible person. In the end, the oldest prince decided to meet the siblings to check if they were anything like their father – and if they are then there is no way he would let Jungkook marry the omega girl, Jiwoo.

“She also made arrangements for you, brother.” Seokjin’s eyes widened at that. His sixteenth birthday was next year and he would soon be of a marriageable age for omegas. Surely, the council would see it fit for him to be married off speedily to an alpha that provided the best strategic advantage to the kingdom.

“Did she already have anyone in mind?” the older of the two princes enquired but his brother shook his head in reply.

“No, she did not. Instead, she has stated here vehemently that no marriage arrangements be made on behalf of you until you reach your twentieth year or unless you choose your own mate before then.”

Seokjin was left speechless as he pondered over his mother’s decision for his future. He was already so thankful to the queen, for raising him well and always providing him with care and support. But this was on another level entirely. No one on the council, not even the King himself, would be able to overrule the Queen’s final words, and this meant that Seokjin would not have to be worried about betrothals and being tied to some unknown alpha that could potentially be his future mate for at least another five years!

He listened intently as his younger brother recited the rest of the Queen’s will, feeling a little bit of happiness bloom inside of him for the first time in months.

***

“Your highness, please stand up straight, we cannot fasten the ties otherwise.” One of his attendants pleaded as the 2 beta girls and the omega boy tried to dress him up in his attire for the ball.

Seokjin huffed in annoyance, but straightened his back so as to not give the attendants too much trouble.

 “Aunty Hyejin, do the robes have to be so gaudy? Something at least a little bit simpler should be enough, should it not?”

Hyejin – his mother’s former chief attendant, and in accordance to the Queen’s will, now Prince Seokjin’s – sighed at the use of endearment, but the Prince saw the small smile on her lips. The older beta woman had asked him numerous times not to address her as ‘aunty’ because, as a prince, it would be improper for him to refer to her as such. But Seokjin never relented; she had been a good friend to his mother and he would treat her with respect, even if no one else did.

“Yes, my prince, they do have to be so gaudy.” Her smile widened at the prince’s displeased expression. “Many nobles and dignitaries from all over the Ancestral Lands are going to be in attendance. It is only right that both of the kingdom’s princes be presented looking their best.”

“Mmm…I’m always at my best, though. My handsome face is all I need.” He grinned, lifting up his hands to pat at his face lightly. The three attendants squeaked in dismay as the belts that they had been working to tie came undone. “Oops.”   

Hyejin rolled her eyes at the prince’s antics. “But the council would be displeased.”

Seokjin stopped mid-twirl in front of his mirror. “Leave us.”

The prince turned around to face the older woman as the attendants nodded - finally having finished dressing him up – and left the room. 

“When you told me that you would teach me to read and write – were you sincere? Or did you just say so to comfort me…” he trailed off. He really wanted to learn, though.

In their kingdom, children were only taught basic etiquette and language before presenting. The tutor would read them a book or a guide and would orally explain the meanings of the words. It is only after presenting that their further course of study is determined, with omegas learning how to entertain guests and manage their homes while alphas and noble or high ranking betas learned how to read and write while also studying politics and war.

Jungkook had already begun the course that was meant for the clan’s alphas and according to what he had managed to glean from the palace guards and advisors, his younger brother had been making incredible progress even though he started just a little over two months ago.

Seokjin however, being an omega, was denied learning the art of reading and writing. Instead, he had to attend lessons on dancing and singing. Then he had etiquette and in the evening he would head to the nursery to learn how to care for pups. After all, now that he was an omega, that was his only purpose now – pups.

“I would be honored to teach you, your highness. It is only because of your mother that I know how to read and write. It’s only right that I teach you now that she is not here to do it herself.” Her voice lowered to almost a whisper at the end.

He smiled at her words sadly and the beta woman responded with a smile off her own as they stepped out of Seokjin’s chambers and headed for the ballroom.

***

The palace’s ball room was a huge, high-ceilinged oval affair, the walls embedded with glittering, semi-precious white stone. The chandelier was enormous, a hundred lit candles in holders made of colorful blown glass hanging from the fixture’s metal arms by thin chains.

The highlight, though, was the garden. The ballroom’s fourth wall was nothing but high, open archways leading out into one of the palace’s gardens.

The guests watched and cheered enthusiastically as some of the fairy attendees hailing from the Woodlands fashioned large bubbles from the pond’s water, a few of them laughing when they noticed that some of the bubbles had fish flailing inside them.

Pixies zapped to and fro, offering fragrant flowers to the omega guests. Seokjin curtsied with a smile as a blue pixie delivered him a rose.

These fairies were just so friendly that the prince had a hard time imagining the evil Royal Faeries. They were of the same race, were they not? Surely they could not be so different from each other. Surely, the Royals must have some good in them.   

“Is it really true then? He is an omega?” Seokjin turned in search of the high-pitched voice, thinking that they were talking about him again. It wouldn’t be the first time that night that he had to endure pitying looks and superficial comforting words that were uttered only out of obligation and for keeping up appearances.

But Seokjin was mistaken this time and the conversation was not about him. In fact, the small group of young shape-shifters did not even notice the prince being there as they continued with the conversation.

“Yes, he is truly an omega. It is quite astounding, to say the least, that he had been able to achieve such a feat single-handedly.” A short boy around his age said in reply to the high-pitched omega’s question and a couple of girls in the group clapped and squealed.

His nose prickled at the many sweet scents emanating from the omegas as Seokjin neared the group, announcing his arrival with a slight cough. Several pairs of eyes were trained on him now and they each bowed politely with a murmured, “My prince,” or “Your Highness,” or a “Prince Seokjin”, as they recognized just who he was.

He greeted them back as he examined everyone in the group. Now that he was right in front of them he could clearly tell apart the various dynamics. The three girls were all omegas while two of the four boys were alphas, the others being a beta and an omega.

The boy who had spoken just now was one of the alphas and Seokjin noticed that he had a very pretty face; his features were those that would generally be seen in omegas. His hair was a faded blonde color, bleached naturally by the sun. He had soft brown eyes and full lips and there was a kind of softness to his face, especially in the cheeks.

The other alpha in the group was well tanned and had dusty brown hair. He was tall and gangly, all long limbs and glasses perched on his nose, but Seokjin liked the heart-shape of his face.

“How may I be of service, your highness?” the short alpha who had introduced himself as Park Jimin asked him.

“Ahh…I was passing by and heard you talking. You were saying something about an omega and something they did? I would love to know more, since I don’t get to hear stories of other kingdoms that often while in the palace.”

“Of course, of course,” The alpha boy smiled wide. “Join right in. Ahh…Sorry, I entirely forgot about this pillar here.” He patted the tall alpha’s shoulder, grinning when the other alpha glared at the smaller for calling him a pillar. “This here is my cousin, Namjoon. His family lives by the coast, hence the incredible tan. Also, I heard that your mothers – the late Queen and Namjoon’s mother that is – were best friends during their childhood years.”

Seokjin felt his eyebrows go up at that and he looked up at Namjoon, waiting for any further details that the other may provide. His mother had almost never spoken to him of her childhood and the information was completely new to him.

Namjoon, however, just nodded once curtly, dismissing the prince’s questioning glance. The tall boy’s face was painted with a mix of annoyance and boredom but it lit up a little as Jimin continued on the group’s earlier topic of discussion after sending a quick glare at his cousin, silently admonishing him for being rude to the Crown Prince.

Seokjin’s heart hurt a little at the easy way the alpha had dismissed him and he was made even more aware of his own unimportance in the kingdom, even in the eyes of a random person who did not know him at all.

The prince hid the hurt, however, tuning in to the conversation as Jimin once again reiterated what the rumors said about the young noble omega who had defeated the alpha king of the northern-most kingdom on the Ancestral Lands and his guard, becoming the first Omega King in history and establishing a nation that would be a safe haven for omegas.

A King? An Omega?

Seokjin was astonished by the revelation. An omega just having an official position was a huge feat in itself, and a very rare occurrence; there weren’t any omega officials in their own kingdom.

“I heard that he is only a few years older than I am. Truthfully, I admire his bravery.” Namjoon spoke for the first time since the prince had joined the group, and Seokjin was fairly surprised by the boy’s voice which was deep and smooth. But even more surprising was the way he spoke – he did not use the proper speech and wording that a noble would and instead he spoke like the common folk, without any honorifics and other words that would point to his noble status. “He isn’t like other omegas that mindlessly submit to alphas and don’t even try to fight for their rights.”

Everyone in their small group but Jimin were taken aback by the alpha’s directness and the omegas started shifting uncomfortably until they excused themselves from their company, Jimin looking apologetically at them. The betas left too and it was only Seokjin, Namjoon and Jimin who remained.

“It is not that we don’t try reaching for change, you know.” Seokjin proclaimed, directing the statement at the brown-haired alpha. “It is because that every time we try to, you pathetic alphas use your Alpha Voice on us and we cannot help but submit.” The prince says, his tone radiating pure anger. Jimin seems dumbfounded by the Prince’s statement but Namjoon’s eyes start to turn red and Seokjin excuses himself quickly and briskly walks away before the alpha could turn aggressive.

Jimin seemed quite friendly and nice for an alpha but Namjoon was too rude for Seokjin’s liking and the prince didn’t like his condescending view on omegas.

The prince roamed the hall, trying to navigate between the dancing couples and groups of people sipping drinks and talking boisterously, probably a little inebriated from the wine. All the while the mysterious omega who rose to be a king stayed on his mind and he found himself wanting to be at least a little like the other. Now that Jungkook had presented as an alpha Seokjin knew that it would only be a while before a new crowning ceremony would take place and his title of Crown Prince would be given to his alpha brother instead. Seokjin, being an omega, would never be king and now that he was not the first in line to the throne anymore his mate too could not take the position of king and neither would Seokjin take on the position of Consort like his mother, the late Queen, had been.

But this did not mean that it wouldn’t be possible for him to contribute to the welfare of his kingdom somehow. After all, he was sure that he would have full support from the King and his brother, Jungkook.

The Prince finally found his younger brother who animatedly talking to two people, an alpha boy and an omega girl who both looked to be older than the two princes, from the way the spoke and carried themselves. They introduced themselves as Jung Hoseok and Jung Jiwoo, children of advisor Jung who was Seokjin’s not-so-friendly tutor.

Seokjin put the mildly passive-aggressive alpha that has just indirectly insulted him and most other omegas on earth out of his mind and concentrated on the siblings in front of him. He would make it his mission to see if the older girl was as good as his mother claimed she was.

***

What nobody could expect, however, was that a few years later would see Hoseok becoming the older prince’s best friend and confidant and that the older alpha would end up saving the lives of both the princes setting off a chain reaction of events that would change the Ancestral Lands forever.  

***

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