A Patient Love 8
Title: A Patient Love
Pairing: UKUS
Rating: T
Warnings: Omegaverse, age-gap, Mpreg, and slight historical inaccuracies.
Summary: Prince Arthur has finally been granted a male Omega by his brother, the king. Alfred is soon to learn the treacherous ways of royalty and that adulthood in this world is not at all kind.
Distant Steps
Alfred was well cared for, even when his mate was not there for him. Shortly before his departure for France, Arthur sent for the Jones' family to care for their son while he was away. An Omega with child was very vulnerable to diseases, but one without an Alpha could be dangerous as it could lead to loneliness and severe depression, and ultimately result in the loss of either the child or the Omega, or both.
Upon Duke and Duchess Jones' arrival, Alfred fell into a fit of tears, thankful to no longer be alone. His Omega-in-waiting and other servants were all fine and quite kind, but they were not someone he could open up to or become comfortable with during this emotional time period. His pregnancy made it difficult to handle his hormones, and he would need a strong Alpha to guide him during this long process. The renewed war in France was a heavy burden on the kingdom for tax reasons. For Alfred, though, he could care less about taxes or political hardships. Without Arthur there, the spring and summer days became harder and harder for Alfred to breathe.
Arthur had promised summer, then he promised fall, and then Christmas, then Easter. He never came. His letters were constant and the only connection between him and his patient Omega. Every day, Alfred lay a hand upon his swollen belly, rubbing it and talking to the baby. He'd read the baby the letters from Arthur, hoping the baby would understand why they couldn't yet meet their father.
Alphas were forbidden from entering the room once expectant Omegas were confined the last month of pregnancy. For that, the letters came less frequently. Alfred watched from his bed as the world moved on without him, wondering how Arthur fared in a foreign land. He wondered if he was safe, well-fed, warm, and loyal. He worried most about his health. The letters were his only reassurance.
The baby was born September 17th, a healthy baby girl. Alfred's labor was long, tiring him out to the point of exhaustion. His mother remained by his side, coaxing him through-out the fourteen hour deal, promising him that it was worth it. He would be rewarded for his efforts. The baby was named Amelia Jane Kirkland; Amelia after Alfred's mother and Jane after Arthur's. Alfred loved to touch her red hands that curled up into tiny fists, to caress her soft cheeks, tickle her ten toes and ten fingers. He kissed her belly and thought of the smile that belonged to the Alpha that should be here with him. Arthur would have held him close, kissing his head and hers, showering them both with affection. For Arthur, this was his first child after having tried for nearly ten years.
Omega females were to nurse the child, keeping them close as a source of warmth and protection. Alfred only let them feed Amelia, but otherwise, he was the main figure in the baby's life. He kept Amelia close, rarely letting her out of his arms. He loved to take her out into the gardens where he'd talk of Arthur. Alfred's parents warned him of too much outside exposure could lead to illness and early infant death, but Amelia defied all of their fears. She remained strong.
Shortly before Amelia's birth, Queen Françoise had her final child, a boy, on August 2nd. She gave him the name Charles Arthur Kirkland. Alfred had a sinking feeling that she chose his middle name as a slight to his mate. Had Arthur been here, he would have fussed about such a name. He doubted, also, that King Scott would have agreed.
But the war raged on. Arthur's letters came from Orléans, Rouen, Calais, and Bordeaux. At times, most of them concentrated at Calais Castle where the fortified fortress from Norman times that could withstand any type of invasion or battle. Alfred felt at most ease when Arthur was stationed there.
News of Amelia's birth reached Arthur only days afterwards, and with it came his reply of a larger sum of income for Alfred and a wish for the family to vacation at their castle in Dorset. The kingdom celebrated as if Amelia had already been Natured, and many were reported as drinking excessively in the streets. Sussex and London alike celebrated Amelia's birth with hopes of her being an Alpha. Her initial strength gave many people hope as the queen had lost two children in infantry before.
News of Charles' birth, though, brought about a lukewarm reception from the king, and from the kingdom. Only time would tell, as both Amelia and Prince Charles would have to wait nearly three years until they were Natured to find out.
As the year dragged on into winter and thawed into spring, Alfred took to the fireplace in his chambers, reading Amelia aloud the letters from her father. She was always swaddled in her blankets to ensure a straight back, and kept close to Alfred's heart.
"Here's a good one, my sweet," Alfred cooed. He rocked Amelia in his chair as she softly fussed, having just finished eating and now feeling sleepy. "Your father is in Calais again. That's always good news, isn't it? Here, let me begin."
Calais
21 January 15xx
My dearest Alfred,
The days are a blur of cannons firing, men yelling, and my brother ordering everyone to their death with his "strategies" in the battlefield. Some days it feels useless, and other days we shout in victory. I am unsure when my brother will want us to separate and fight the French with two armies, but he always makes mention of it as if it will come tomorrow. I think he will never do so. It could be he still mistrusts me, or that we are actually as low on finances from Parliament as it is rumored.
I do not wish to speak of the days no more. It is the evenings that are long. I fear I cannot handle them some nights. I think of my cold bed, of your empty one, and ache with longing. I hope Amelia is well. You tell me she has your eyes and that delights me. I look forward to not seeing just one pair of bright, blue eyes anymore, but now two upon my return.
God bless, my sweet Omega.Rouen
16 February 15xx
My darling Alfred,
Forgive me for I have not written in a few days. That is a few days too long to have not let you know I am still of good health. Yes, all of my limbs are intact. Fear not, for I shall return with all my arms and legs and fingers and toes. I shall not return a mangled mate. And with these perfectly intact limbs I shall hold you once more and make you cry with pleasure.
Some of the poor soldiers that have fought so bravely, though…
No, I will not scare you with such thoughts. All is well, my dear.
God bless you and our baby.
Rheims
28 March 15xx
My dearest Alfred,
We are on the offense again. My brother, the king, still has yet to let me command my own army, although I am given more liberty out here. We are making our way once more to Paris.
I hate this country. It is rife with war and plague and poor. While I have been abroad to France a few times in the past, I know this is, by far, the worst of times. The countryside has been laid to waste with the blood of our countrymen. I feel the pain of their widowed Omegas at home, but am empowered to know that I shall never let that happen to you, my dear.
Make note that I shall never let our beloved Amelia marry into French royalty. She is worthy of a better life.
God bless you, dearest Omega, and our darling Amelia.
Rouen
1 May 15xx
Dearest Alfred,
It is May Day, and I am not able to be in beautiful England with you to celebrate with our daughter. I hope that Amelia enjoys her first May Day, and that you do not miss me too terribly.
I fear I must keep this short. It is late at night and I need to rest before tomorrow. We will be attacking again as we slowly make our way against the French King. Our reinforcements are slim, so we cannot afford to fall back any more than we have already.
Be well, my pet, and Amelia as well.
Calais
19 June 15xx
France is a terrible place to be in the summer. It is too hot. I hate it.
I am certain you are smiling by now. It is the memory of that lovely smile and your adorable laugh that makes it all worthwhile.
I am still very much in good health. Things have been improving. Morale in the army has shot up due to a sudden victory, and my brother is preparing to return to the battlefield with more offense than ever. I think things are finally starting to turn in our favour. There's nothing like returning from this blasted farce of a war with our record tarnished by a resulting loss. I don't know how I could ever face you or our daughter again.
Tell me, how is our baby? Is she well? I hope I can come home to see her take her first steps and hear her say her first words. My first child in ten years, and it is with my long-awaited Omega. I could not be happier, or more proud of you, dear Alfred.
Fear not, if she is not an Alpha, I will still cherish her and shall not think of you any less.
God bless, dear Omega.
Calais
7 July 15xx
My darling Alfred,
I wish I was there to hold you in my arms as I wish you a happy natal day. I do hope this letter reaches you before your birthday. Please, imagine this as if I were truly there, my pet.
I wake you in the morning with a tender kiss to your lips, whispering for you to rise so that I may pleasure you. I will do so until the servants knock on our door, although I will turn them away. Of course, the needs of Amelia shall pull you away from my arms eventually. I will take you on a walk to the river, although I can also see us down in Dorset where you smile so brightly and enjoy the ocean air.
In the evening we dance and dine and laugh, and I whisk you away to my bed where you will not be allowed to rise until morning. However, I will keep you for as long as I wish. It is your natal day. I wish to make you be as naked as the day you were born.
I hope the new clothing I send to you is sufficient enough of a gift for you, although I know your reply letter will already say that the only gift you want is my safe return. Perhaps by autumn, dear.
Calais
6 August 15xx
My dearest Alfred,
I must keep this short. I am to leave for Paris with my brother soon. We are to meet with Françoise's brother, Francis. I have met him once before when my brother first met Françoise, and again when I mated with his other sister. He is a retched man, and I detest him with my entire being. Scott, however, thinks him humurous, although Lord knows why.
My only wish is that a truce, of some sort, comes out of this mess, so that I may hurry home to see you and take Amelia into my arms finally. I hope you are not spoiling her.
Hoshiko2's cents: This in reply to an anon's review (that I feel needs saying again because some readers are somehow missing this) which reads:
"The language used when describing the pregnancy seems snooty/over-confident to the point where it's uncomfortable. They keep praising Alfred for conceiving an alpha implying that they put him on a pedestal that would fall apart if he gave birth to anything less (or worst, if he miscarried). I kind of expected that language from servants but not from Arthur. Imagine the stress Alfred feels when he's being told that "the future hope lies in your womb" but it has a harsh tag line of "oh btw, it has to be an alpha or else you're really false hope"."
Well dear anon, you have hit the nail on the head. I'd like to direct your attention to my notes in the Prologue of this series where I state that this is based on historical customs of England from the Tudor time period. That means, the customs of how women were treated, especially those of high blood line (like those involved in the Court) is directly translated in my series to how Omegas are seen and treated.
I'm sorry if that bothers you, but it's a bothersome thing that has happened throughout history, and still holds bar today with how women are viewed, so leaving it out would make things very much out of context to history. I'm just keeping to history as much as I can, so as far as my "snooty/over-confident" writing goes, that is just how I write it as a connection to how it was seen and how other authors have done so too given that the men/Alphas are the ones who directed history back then. Few women/Omegas really got to choose their own fate, or the fate of their children. Also, please keep in mind that this is written from Alfred's POV (albeit not 1st POV), so some things may come off a little harsher that way as well.