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Here is a fill for "Medieval-inspired Fantasy AU with King Tony (and maybe Secret Identities? or protectiveness and devotion). I hope you like it!
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"Who are you?"
The living armor turned toward him. Where its face would be were slits. Set inside the slits, something blinked. Tony thought its eyes were blue.
"I have no need of a name." Its voice was unlike any human voice Tony had ever heard. It must have been magicked, although Tony could have told you that from the sheer amount of mana emanating from the armor.
"You saved my life." Tony kept eye contact with the living armor as he leaned over to pick up what he'd dropped during the ambush. The sword glistened, shining beyond the precious, priceless metals of the hilt and blade. The sword of the king gleamed in the hand of its wielder, light reflecting off the surface of the living armor, until Tony sheathed it. "You saved me, so your name deserves to be known."
"King Anthony…"
"No, that's my name," Tony grinned when he realized the living armor's silence was born of exasperation. "Keep your secrets, then. I will simply tell others that I was saved by the Iron Man."
"Iron Man?"
"I don't imagine you would wear a full suit of armor and refuse to respond to royalty if you didn't have secrets to keep. So I've bestowed you with your own name. A gift from the king, for saving my life."
"I-I have no need of a reward. But…" The living armor remained silent for a long moment. That was fine. Tony could wait.
The living armor - the man inside the armor - came to a decision. "I will accept your name."
Tony smiled. "Good."
"I didn't know you had an interest in deciphering runes yourself, now."
Steve startled. "Your Majesty!" He should have heard Tony walk in. Steve had been..distracted, as of late. "Should you be up?"
"You're as bad as Lady Foster," Tony scoffed. "I'm fine. My ego ended up more bruised than my body. Those kidnappers should be shamed. Speaking of which, have you any word?"
"No," Steve replied. "The Widow has been investigating since you went missing, but she has yet to make a report."
Tony smirked. "That lightens my unease rather than anything. It means the lady Romanova has found a lead too good to let go of to do something as irrelevant as reporting to the king." Tony studied Steve. "Are there any thoughts you want to share about Natasha, my royal advisor?"
"No, I trust Natasha to take care of herself," Steve said. "She wouldn't be one of ours - one of yours - otherwise."
"You still worry, though."
"They managed to kidnap you."
"I was careless, going outside the castle grounds on my own. It wasn't the first time, nor will it be the last."
"Tony," Steve said, "please be reasonable. You just came here from the infirmary."
"Well, dead people can't rise from their graves to move to a safe area. There's only so far my royal authority can go."
Tony's parents' graves were, of course, within the castle grounds, at the royal cemetary. The only grave he could visit outside the castle was…
"She wouldn't have wanted you to be in danger," Steve implored. "At least, let me know. Or Happy, he would make sure you're properly accompanied."
"Yes, let's wake up the entire keep because the king is in a mood. Even my father didn't stoop that low."
"Tony…"
"So, repulsor technology?" Tony asked, dropping the topic.
"You can read this?"
"Those hours of language study really did pay off. I'm no translator, but yes, I can make it out."
"From what you told me, repuslor technology should be what powers whoever saved you."
"Oh!" Much to Steve's chagrin, Tony brightened. "The Iron Man!"
"Yes," Steve gritted out, "the Iron Man."
"What can you tell me about him?" Tony asked. "I've never seen magic like his. Whoever created it must be some sort of prodigy."
"The Iron Man didn't create it himself," Steve said shortly. "And prodigy is far from how I'd describe its originator."
Tony frowned, but leaned in when Steve shifted his pages of notes over.
"The Iron Man is a cursed artifact. It's the experimentations of a cruel king, who charged his battle mages to create the ultimate armor. It saps the life force of its wearer to generate its own weaponized mana. It's powered by the agony of the person wearing it. Whoever is inside it, who would use a weapon like that, isn't to be trusted."
"Shouldn't it be the opposite, my dear Captain?" asked Tony. "Shouldn't someone who is willing to go so far as using their own mana as a power source, just to be able to join the fight, be admired?"
"Admired because of their desperation?" Steve retorted.
"Desperation? We don't know that," Tony said. "What we do know is, this Iron Man hasn't done anything besides save my life. If this man really is in such intense suffering, just for a king that doesn't know his name or face...For all his heart, I'm not sure what's going on in his brain."
"M-my lord," Steve stuttered. "you mustn't say things like that."
"Right," Tony sighed, "I'm the king now. I have to hold the highest opinion of myself, so that everyone else does too, right? It was so much easier to be self-deprecating as an unruly prince."
"I meant nothing of the sort!" Steve objected. "You're the first king in my lifetime who values peace over expansion. Who wants the people to prosper, instead of the nobles. Iron Man being your loyal subject is the least surprising part about this whole thing."
"So, I can't trust Iron Man because he's using dangerous magic, but I can trust him because he's a loyal subject." Tony straightened. "I don't need to know his secrets, or why he's doing this. All I need to know is that he'll protect this kingdom and its people, and apparently he's doing so at the cost of his own life. But who knows." Tony sighed. "Maybe he won't ever show up again. Maybe it was a one-and-done."
Steve wiped sweat with a handkerchief absentmindedly.
"We have to approach it that way. We don't have a method of contact, and as much as you're grateful to him for saving your life, we don't know his intentions."
"Voice of reason as always, Steve," Tony said.
"That's what I'm here for. Of course, I can't be on the battlefield with you, sire," Steve said. "I just urge you to exercise caution out there, if you must insist on going out."
"Are you saying you don't trust Rhodey to keep me safe?"
"Sir Rhodes has been by your side since you were squires, sire. I have no doubt in his loyalty. Moreover, Rhodey's armor was crafted by your own hands."
"Don't go telling me about how my crafts are worthwhile because they're made from God's chosen," Tony scowled.
Of course not. Tony was a genius craftsman in his own right. If anyone had to have all the qualities of handsomeness, brilliance, courage, generosity, and kindness, it should be Steve's king.
"Well," Steve began, "you were made in God's image, and therefore anything made from your head is…inspired."
"I'll take the credit where it's given," Tony laughed. "But, you've been here for a long time, too," he pointed out. "Not as long as Rhodey, but I almost don't remember what it was like to have my trusted advisor bark back at me." Tony rubbed at his temple, and Steve resisted the urge to reach out and lay his hand over Tony's.
"You need to rest, Tony."
"Perhaps you have a point." Tony replied, which meant that he was just about to collapse on his feet. "You're not going to sleep, yourself?"
"Not yet," Steve said. "I wanted to finish going through these notes."
"For all of your distrust, you might even more fascinated by the Iron Man than I am."
"This has nothing to do with the Iron Man. It's about keeping you safe."
"You say the loveliest things sometimes, when you're not ready to bite my head off."
"I'm about to do that, if you don't get yourself to bed."
"Yes, yes," Tony laughed. He laid a hand on Steve's shoulder. Steve didn't watch him go, but he heard the door shutting behind him.
Steve toppled onto the table, gasping. He wasn't sweating anymore. The table burned beneath his body, even though that was his own body burning from the inside-out. Steve slid to the cool floor, his fingers twisting in his shirt, over his chest. The hammering of his heartbeat didn't stop, and he wheezed, almost throwing up sick all over the floor. Against his better judgment, Steve fumbled his fingers, unbuttoning his shirt to reveal the shining stone set in his chest.
Reed Richards frowned at Steve. Steve blinked at him as pieces of metal locked into place aorund him, leaving only his head free.
"I understand why you had to do this, last time. Lord Stark was missing, and it could have been a matter of minutes between our kingdom remaining intact and a succession crisis. But now? Your Majesty would never approve of this, if he knew."
"Against all better judgment, he trusts and respsects the Iron Man. We'll use that to our advantage. What Tony doesn't know about Iron Man's identity won't hurt him. There's still people out there who would have him kidnapped, or worse."
Steve didn't need Tony to trust the Iron Man, or to grow closer to whoever was inside him. All Steve needed, was for Tony to be safe.
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Here is a fill for "Medieval-inspired Fantasy AU with King Tony (and maybe Secret Identities? or protectiveness and devotion). I hope you like it!
---
"Who are you?"
The living armor turned toward him. Where its face would be were slits. Set inside the slits, something blinked. Tony thought its eyes were blue.
"I have no need of a name." Its voice was unlike any human voice Tony had ever heard. It must have been magicked, although Tony could have told you that from the sheer amount of mana emanating from the armor.
"You saved my life." Tony kept eye contact with the living armor as he leaned over to pick up what he'd dropped during the ambush. The sword glistened, shining beyond the precious, priceless metals of the hilt and blade. The sword of the king gleamed in the hand of its wielder, light reflecting off the surface of the living armor, until Tony sheathed it. "You saved me, so your name deserves to be known."
"King Anthony…"
"No, that's my name," Tony grinned when he realized the living armor's silence was born of exasperation. "Keep your secrets, then. I will simply tell others that I was saved by the Iron Man."
"Iron Man?"
"I don't imagine you would wear a full suit of armor and refuse to respond to royalty if you didn't have secrets to keep. So I've bestowed you with your own name. A gift from the king, for saving my life."
"I-I have no need of a reward. But…" The living armor remained silent for a long moment. That was fine. Tony could wait.
The living armor - the man inside the armor - came to a decision. "I will accept your name."
Tony smiled. "Good."
"I didn't know you had an interest in deciphering runes yourself, now."
Steve startled. "Your Majesty!" He should have heard Tony walk in. Steve had been..distracted, as of late. "Should you be up?"
"You're as bad as Lady Foster," Tony scoffed. "I'm fine. My ego ended up more bruised than my body. Those kidnappers should be shamed. Speaking of which, have you any word?"
"No," Steve replied. "The Widow has been investigating since you went missing, but she has yet to make a report."
Tony smirked. "That lightens my unease rather than anything. It means the lady Romanova has found a lead too good to let go of to do something as irrelevant as reporting to the king." Tony studied Steve. "Are there any thoughts you want to share about Natasha, my royal advisor?"
"No, I trust Natasha to take care of herself," Steve said. "She wouldn't be one of ours - one of yours - otherwise."
"You still worry, though."
"They managed to kidnap you."
"I was careless, going outside the castle grounds on my own. It wasn't the first time, nor will it be the last."
"Tony," Steve said, "please be reasonable. You just came here from the infirmary."
"Well, dead people can't rise from their graves to move to a safe area. There's only so far my royal authority can go."
Tony's parents' graves were, of course, within the castle grounds, at the royal cemetary. The only grave he could visit outside the castle was…
"She wouldn't have wanted you to be in danger," Steve implored. "At least, let me know. Or Happy, he would make sure you're properly accompanied."
"Yes, let's wake up the entire keep because the king is in a mood. Even my father didn't stoop that low."
"Tony…"
"So, repulsor technology?" Tony asked, dropping the topic.
"You can read this?"
"Those hours of language study really did pay off. I'm no translator, but yes, I can make it out."
"From what you told me, repuslor technology should be what powers whoever saved you."
"Oh!" Much to Steve's chagrin, Tony brightened. "The Iron Man!"
"Yes," Steve gritted out, "the Iron Man."
"What can you tell me about him?" Tony asked. "I've never seen magic like his. Whoever created it must be some sort of prodigy."
"The Iron Man didn't create it himself," Steve said shortly. "And prodigy is far from how I'd describe its originator."
Tony frowned, but leaned in when Steve shifted his pages of notes over.
"The Iron Man is a cursed artifact. It's the experimentations of a cruel king, who charged his battle mages to create the ultimate armor. It saps the life force of its wearer to generate its own weaponized mana. It's powered by the agony of the person wearing it. Whoever is inside it, who would use a weapon like that, isn't to be trusted."
"Shouldn't it be the opposite, my dear Captain?" asked Tony. "Shouldn't someone who is willing to go so far as using their own mana as a power source, just to be able to join the fight, be admired?"
"Admired because of their desperation?" Steve retorted.
"Desperation? We don't know that," Tony said. "What we do know is, this Iron Man hasn't done anything besides save my life. If this man really is in such intense suffering, just for a king that doesn't know his name or face...For all his heart, I'm not sure what's going on in his brain."
"M-my lord," Steve stuttered. "you mustn't say things like that."
"Right," Tony sighed, "I'm the king now. I have to hold the highest opinion of myself, so that everyone else does too, right? It was so much easier to be self-deprecating as an unruly prince."
"I meant nothing of the sort!" Steve objected. "You're the first king in my lifetime who values peace over expansion. Who wants the people to prosper, instead of the nobles. Iron Man being your loyal subject is the least surprising part about this whole thing."
"So, I can't trust Iron Man because he's using dangerous magic, but I can trust him because he's a loyal subject." Tony straightened. "I don't need to know his secrets, or why he's doing this. All I need to know is that he'll protect this kingdom and its people, and apparently he's doing so at the cost of his own life. But who knows." Tony sighed. "Maybe he won't ever show up again. Maybe it was a one-and-done."
Steve wiped sweat with a handkerchief absentmindedly.
"We have to approach it that way. We don't have a method of contact, and as much as you're grateful to him for saving your life, we don't know his intentions."
"Voice of reason as always, Steve," Tony said.
"That's what I'm here for. Of course, I can't be on the battlefield with you, sire," Steve said. "I just urge you to exercise caution out there, if you must insist on going out."
"Are you saying you don't trust Rhodey to keep me safe?"
"Sir Rhodes has been by your side since you were squires, sire. I have no doubt in his loyalty. Moreover, Rhodey's armor was crafted by your own hands."
"Don't go telling me about how my crafts are worthwhile because they're made from God's chosen," Tony scowled.
Of course not. Tony was a genius craftsman in his own right. If anyone had to have all the qualities of handsomeness, brilliance, courage, generosity, and kindness, it should be Steve's king.
"Well," Steve began, "you were made in God's image, and therefore anything made from your head is…inspired."
"I'll take the credit where it's given," Tony laughed. "But, you've been here for a long time, too," he pointed out. "Not as long as Rhodey, but I almost don't remember what it was like to have my trusted advisor bark back at me." Tony rubbed at his temple, and Steve resisted the urge to reach out and lay his hand over Tony's.
"You need to rest, Tony."
"Perhaps you have a point." Tony replied, which meant that he was just about to collapse on his feet. "You're not going to sleep, yourself?"
"Not yet," Steve said. "I wanted to finish going through these notes."
"For all of your distrust, you might even more fascinated by the Iron Man than I am."
"This has nothing to do with the Iron Man. It's about keeping you safe."
"You say the loveliest things sometimes, when you're not ready to bite my head off."
"I'm about to do that, if you don't get yourself to bed."
"Yes, yes," Tony laughed. He laid a hand on Steve's shoulder. Steve didn't watch him go, but he heard the door shutting behind him.
Steve toppled onto the table, gasping. He wasn't sweating anymore. The table burned beneath his body, even though that was his own body burning from the inside-out. Steve slid to the cool floor, his fingers twisting in his shirt, over his chest. The hammering of his heartbeat didn't stop, and he wheezed, almost throwing up sick all over the floor. Against his better judgment, Steve fumbled his fingers, unbuttoning his shirt to reveal the shining stone set in his chest.
Reed Richards frowned at Steve. Steve blinked at him as pieces of metal locked into place aorund him, leaving only his head free.
"I understand why you had to do this, last time. Lord Stark was missing, and it could have been a matter of minutes between our kingdom remaining intact and a succession crisis. But now? Your Majesty would never approve of this, if he knew."
"Against all better judgment, he trusts and respsects the Iron Man. We'll use that to our advantage. What Tony doesn't know about Iron Man's identity won't hurt him. There's still people out there who would have him kidnapped, or worse."
Steve didn't need Tony to trust the Iron Man, or to grow closer to whoever was inside him. All Steve needed, was for Tony to be safe.
(Yes, it's Bullet Points Steve!! :D <3)