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anawrites3 · 1 year

Note

I know you're already writing two more parts for Royal AU but I hope you won't get mad if I ask about this concept: the union is largely inconvenient for other kingdoms because it will give King Wayne and King Wilson too much power so when the wedding day comes there is a murder attempt at easier target - prince Richard - to prevent the union and possibly create a new conflict between Kings.

Of course I won't get mad, thank you so much for your ask 💕💕 I just hope you won't get mad for how long it took me to finish the story for you 🥺 But to make up for it, it's extra long (5k words exactly). Hope that's alright!

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Sladick royal au, part 7

[masterlist of au]

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Despite how many hours had already passed since the beginning of their wedding celebration, the fun still continued in all its intensivity. Wines, meads and every other possible Defiance liquor were poured generously; food disappeared from the tables so quickly that servants had no time to catch a breath and the floors kept creaking joyfully under dancing people's boots.

Dick watched it all with a smile, catching his breath after the last dance he shared with Slade. His husband stood a few steps away from him, conferring quietly with Wintergreen and Dick didn't dare to disturb them, much less eavesdrop on their conversation. Whatever they were discussing, if at any degree it concerned Dick, Slade will tell him all about it later after the celebration will end.

"Dickie!" a voice called from behind Dick's back and the young consort turned around to see Jason, pushing his way through the other guests. He wasn't running just yet but his steps were so fast it was easy to see that he was forcing himself not to. Behind him, walking at a decidedly slower, leisurely pace, Bruce shook his head in amusement at Jason's behavior.

Dick himself couldn't stop a fond smile from entering his lips at the sight. He wasn't able to spend as much time with his family as he wanted to, due to the responsibilities of being the host and to Slade himself, but they did see each other from time to time to talk and dance.

Slade couldn't refuse him the right to dance with his father or with Jason, no matter how much he might have wanted to.

"Hi, Jay." Dick replied affectionately, wrapping his arms around his brother's frame when the boy threw himself at Dick. "How are you finding the celebration?"

"You're asking the same thing every time you see us. The answer still didn't change, dumbass." Jason rolled his eyes but the playful smile on his lips betrayed him. "But it would be better if I could just sit somewhere quiet and read."

"Of course it would." Dick laughed, running his fingers through his curly hair. "I promise I'll show you the royal library next time."

Jason squeezed him a little tighter at his words. They couldn't be sure when they will be able to see each other again, even more after the celebration will come to an end and so Dick fully intended to make the most of the situation right now. He really hoped Slade wouldn't forbid them seeing each other. Just thinking about it made Dick sick.

"Yeah, you better!"

"Oh but let him fool you, Dick, he basically sleeps with the books you sent him so far." Bruce threw him a smile over Jason's head, ignoring the boy's sharp cry of protest. "Gotham writers' novels bore him ever since he became acquainted with Defiance's literature."

"It's hardly surprising." Dick chuckled good-naturedly. "I read quite a lot of them myself now and I have to admit that they're very interesting. Almost like stories from another world."

"They're amazing!" Jason agreed happily, stepping away from Dick at last. Dick allowed him out of his embrace with the last ruffling of his hair. "Not only is the style of writing different from Gotham's novels but almost everything else too. The way characters think, the way they talk, what they do! Even their food is different from ours! And- um..." Jason hesitated, glancing in Bruce's direction and scratched the back of his neck nervously. "And, you know, the... descriptions too."

Dick forced himself to smile. The books he sent over for Jason weren't the worst he had found in Slade's library - Slade would probably laugh at how... mild they were. But for Jason, who wasn't at all used to Defiance's culture, the way characters displayed affection for each other had to be quite a shock at first. In Gotham, even in the romance books, simple kiss scenes were short and just that, simple. Defiance's writers, however, loved details and throughout descriptions.

Dick chose the least graphic novels he could find to send over to Jason, not only because of his brother, whom he didn't want to taint with barbaric scenes (although, of course, that was the main reason) but also because he knew Bruce would get those books into his hands sooner or later. Dick doubted Bruce knew how shameless Defiance's people really were and he wanted to keep it that way for as long as it was possible.

"Well, it can't be denied that writers here are a little more... bold in their works." Dick said slowly, carefully keeping his face from wincing.

"Bold isn't the word I would use." Bruce deadpanned in answer. "Apart from that, if you asked any of them, surely no one would tell you that they're writing about something obscene. Since they were raised that way and these are the rules in their country, it's hardly surprising that they follow such customs."

Dick looked away in hopes it would conceal his blush, even just a little. He really didn't want to talk again about the way Slade kissed him in front of everyone, literal steps away from Roy. The talk they already had was more than enough for him - Bruce made sure to let Slade know what he thinks about that very clearly.

"It's fascinating." Jason shrugged. He eyed the goblet of mead in Bruce's hand before glancing at Dick, as if his brother's presence would help him steal a sip from it. "The way they don't care about other people around, and how they're proud of being in love. It's just you and your lover that's important, not what others think about it. It makes for great forbidden-love stories."

Forbidden-love stories meant less open affection scenes and that was one of the reasons why Dick sent Jason so many of them but he wasn't going to say that outloud.

“I’m happy you like them, Jason.” he settled on with a small smile and Jason grinned back.

"As long as they're just stories." Bruce sighed.

Dick parted his lips to reply when he got the feeling of being watched. Slade was still busy with Wintergreen and when Dick looked around to locate the source of this feeling, his eyes met with Ra's al Ghul's iron gaze. He inclined his head in a bow and forced himself to smile. Ra's didn't bow back, didn't take his eyes off Dick but his lips did curved into a smile. It wasn't a nice smile. No, Ra's smiled as if he knew a secret Dick had no way of knowing.

Taking his eyes off Ra's felt like looking away from an opponent in the middle of a sword fight but Dick forced himself to do that too.

Ever since Dick was a kid, he knew that Ra's al Ghul was not to be underestimated. His name held as much power as Slade's, maybe even more - Ra's was dangerous but unlike Slade, he didn't like to get his hands dirty unnecessarily. It was said that while for Slade Wilson the world was one big battlefield, for Ra's al Ghul it was a chessboard. His country - an empire - was enormous thanks to the wars and Ra's' schemes that the man reveled in.

Dick had no intention of offending him in any way. Ra's was a power not even Slade wanted to mess with with no real purpose ("too much trouble" Dick heard him say once) and the ruler of Nanda Parbat was one of the first of their guests officially welcomed to the ceremony by the royal couple. It was a show, if anything else, of paying Ra's the respect his power deserved.

To be honest, Dick didn't even expect Ra's to attend their wedding ceremony at all. He wasn't exactly a type that just went to parties where he would only waste his time among the common folk he considered the rulers of other countries to be. The fact that Ra's had come to their wedding and then didn't leave the celebration for all those hours must've meant that the man regarded the power Defiance and Gotham became after the unification. Because the marriage between Slade and Dick not only meant the end of war - it also meant the union between their countries that made them as powerful as ever.

Dick shook his head to get rid of those thoughts. There was no use thinking about any of that now. It didn't matter that Dick didn't like the way Ra's grinned at him - al Ghul was just another guest at their wedding that was celebrating with everyone else. Besides, even if the man wanted to have any business with them, Slade will be the one taking care of that.

Bruce and Jason were still busy discussing Defiance's culture. Dick slid the goblet from his father's hand and took a big swallow of the mead before handing it over to Jason.

"Dick!" Bruce hissed at him and Dick just shrugged.

Bruce reached out to get the goblet back before Jason would manage to get a sip, as Jason let out a victorious "Aha!" and moved away from his reach.

"Jason! Give it back, you're too young to drink." Bruce scolded, still trying to take the goblet away from him when another person joined their little circle and he instinctively straightened, almost despite himself.

With that little movement Bruce was gone, in his place stood now King Wayne, the ruler of Gotham.

"Your Majesty." He greeted shortly, with a face devoid of any emotions. He specifically didn't look at the hand Slade put on the small of Dick's back.

"King Wayne." Slade greeted back lazily, as if they hadn't already seen each other plenty that night. "Prince Jason. It's always a pleasure to see you."

Jason took advantage of Slade's arrival and took a few small sips of the mead. After that, Dick took the goblet from him before he could drink too much and Jason allowed him to do that without a word of protest, only sending him a playful smirk.

"Your Majesty." Jason bowed just slightly. "Or shall I call you 'brother' now?"

Bruce choked on the drink he finally got back and Slade barked a surprised laugh.

"I take it you're finding the liquors well?" he asked with an amused smile.

"Your country is full of wonders, Your Majesty." Bruce replied harshly. His eyes arrowed just slightly in annoyance. "It's no surprise that your liquors are satisfactory as well."

Slade seemed pleased with the answer. "All the best for such an honorable occasion." he said, glancing at Dick out of the corner of his eye. "Richard deserves all the best for the celebration."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Dick murmured, inclining his head. "Your generosity brings me great joy."

"Oh, aren't you a proper little thing." Slade purred out. He cupped Dick's cheek to raise his head and press a kiss to the corner of his lips. Dick was sure he heard the way Jason gasped in shock but all he could focus on right now was the look on Slade's face. "Why don't you bring me something to drink, love, and then we'll go greet the rest of the guests?"

Dick swallowed. In Gotham, he would never lower himself to obey that request but he was in Defiance now. He had to remind himself of that fact, over and over again. He was in Defiance now and different rules applied here. It was alright. He saw Apollo bring Midnighter food or drink plenty of times when the man asked and he always seemed happy to do that.

But before Dick could nod or even part his lips to answer, Bruce's angry voice boomed beside them.

"Find yourself a servant to do that." he almost growled, as close to breaking The Proper King's image as he ever got. "I do not care what rules your country has, I will not allow you to humiliate my son any further."

"Father-" Dick tried, but Bruce wasn't quite done.

"He's your husband, not a toy and definitely not a personal attendant of yours!"

Slade barely reacted at the words, merely raising his brows. His hand was on Dick's hip now, a loose weight pressing them close together but it didn't feel like being trapped.

"No, he's not. But you're the only one insinuating he is, King Wayne, and for that I could cut off your tongue." Slade answered coldly. "Why would there be anything wrong with him getting me something to drink?"

"He's a crown prince-"

"He's a royal consort now actually." Slade interrupted carelessly. "And if my memory serves me right, just a few hours ago you were one of the witnesses to our vows, where we swore to take care of each other."

"Using my son as your errand boy is hardly taking care of him."

"I'll take care of him alright, you don't have to worry about that, Your Majesty." Bruce flinched at the words and Jason grabbed at his arm before anything could happen. A lot of people kept glancing in the direction, curious of what was happening even if they weren't speaking loudly. "And I'm sure you know that the vows work both ways - by bringing me a drink Richard will care about me. Besides, I'm sure that even if I hadn't asked, he'd offer to bring me something on his own accord, with how polite and trained you made him."

And the truth was, Dick probably would, sooner or later. But there was a difference in just doing it and in Slade asking for the drink, like Bruce would do with a servant.

"Trained!" Bruce echoed in indignation. "How dare you-"

"Father, please. Now is not the time nor place for this." Dick pleaded hurriedly. When Bruce clenched his jaw, as if that was the only thing stopping him from screaming, Dick looked over at Slade. "Your Majesty-"

"I don't need any apologies, Richard, if that's what you're trying to do." Slade waved a hand dismissively. "The war between our countries may have ended but the hatred is quite difficult to eradicate. You should know that very well yourself."

Dick curled his fingers in the material of his cloak.

"I do not hate you." he confessed in a whisper. So quiet he wasn't sure if Bruce was able to hear it at all.

Slade's lips curled into a slow smirk, "Perhaps."

"People are looking." Jason muttered uncomfortably. He looked as if he wanted to be anywhere but here and Dick couldn't really blame him. "I'm not saying you should hug or anything but..."

"We shouldn't argue." Bruce grunted. "People have enough to talk about."

"Maybe you should think about that before you open your mouth next time, Your Majesty." Slade bared his teeth in a wolfish smile. "I'll be the one to bring us something to drink then, Richard. Excuse me."

He gently uncurled Dick's hand from the cloak to press the back of it to his lips, in a manner that started to feel as familiar as breathing to Dick with how often it happened, and then he was gone.

"That was... um." Jason started uncertainty.

"Yeah." Dick breathed out, looking after his husband. "Yeah, it was."

With all the commotion, Dick completely forgot about Ra's al Ghul and his strange smile. Neither did he notice how that smile got even bigger during the argument or the weird sign Ra's made with his hand when everyone's attention was somewhere else.

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Greeting guests was a pretty boring, repetitive process. It was almost the same with every single one of them, with slight differences here and there but mostly it based on charming smiles and "We greet you, welcome to Defiance", "We're the most grateful for your presence at our celebration" and "Thank you for your kind words and wishes". Slade was the one who did most of the introductions and took care of the more political side of the greetings, while Dick was the one for pretty words and charming their guests. He's been doing that since he was nine years old and first came to live with Bruce in a castle, and he did it almost with no second thought at all.

Slade seemed satisfied with his acting as well, just smirking when some of Defiance diplomats and nobles cooed over how polite and lovely Dick was.

"This marriage was a great idea." one of the baroness admitted with a warm smile. She was quite drunk at this point and her husband kept sending her quick panicked looks, as if afraid she'd say something wrong and offend them. Dick tried to hide his amused smile in the goblet of mulled wine Slade brought him. "Excellent even! Not only you finally stopped that damned war, you made both of your countries so much stronger! Oh, think of all the good you can do for your people now."

"My dear, please..." her husband tried and Dick chuckled.

"We'll do our best, ma'am, thank you." he said with a smile and the woman beamed at him.

"Oh, you're such a lovely young man!" she clasped her hands together in delight. "It's such a shame I'm not a few years younger. Oh, and you just got married. Oh wait, I'm married as well! Ha! Maybe it's better that I'm so old, that could be so awkward!"

She grabbed his arm gently and Dick allowed her to lead him several steps away, to get away from the group that formed around the king. Slade eyed him without stopping his talk with another lord but didn't say a word of protest. Apparently, he deemed the baroness harmless enough and, basing on the slight smile on his lips, her behavior even amused him.

Well, the baron couldn't say the same.

"I apologize, Your Majesty!" he called loudly, rushing after them and bowing before Dick as low as it was possible for his old back. "Baroness had a little too much to drink and-"

"There's no need to apologize." Dick assured him gently. "You have a lovely wife, my lord. Her compliments are quite... unique but I appreciate the kind words."

The man breathed out softly in relief.

"You're too good for us, Your Majesty." he said, straightening slowly with a shy, grateful smile. "Defiance gained a lot this day and for that we're very grateful."

The couple bowed to him for the last time before walking away. For a moment Dick just watched them go, before turning back with the intention of going back to Slade' side. He only managed to take a few steps towards his husband when another man blocked his way.

Dick hadn't seen him before, not at the marriage ceremony or even later during the celebration but it was hardly surprising. Their marriage was such a big event that people from all over the world traveled to Defiance to celebrate with them. Or, most likely, to see what the whole fuss was about and to pay respect to mighty King Wilson that way.

The man in front of him was middle-aged, with most of his brown hair already turned into white strands. He was wearing fine clothing mostly in dark green, with lots and lots of gold accents. Probably another one of lords that came over from the order side of the globe, Dick thought.

"Your Majesty." the man said, slightly inclining his head with a sharp smile. "Congratulations on your marriage."

"Thank you." Dick replied with a small smile even though, come to think of it, it was strange that he got approached alone. A lot of people came to Slade like that, while Dick was spending his time with his family or was just busy talking with someone else, but never the other way around. "I hope you're enjoying the feast."

"Oh, I surely am. Such a great country as Defiance knows well how to take care of a visitor." the man cocked his head to a side with a glint in his eye. "But I'm sure Gotham lent a hand in all the preparations. Such a wedding! But rulers of such splendors deserve all the very best on a day like this, do they not?"

"Uh, of course." Dick wet his lips nervously. He couldn't put his finger on why exactly but something was wrong. Maybe it was the weird grin on the man's lips or just the way he was talking but Dick didn't like it one bit. He glanced towards Slade. "Excuse me, mister, but I believe we haven't met before and you still didn't tell me your name."

"I didn't." he confirmed. "But this day is about you, my prince."

Something was very strong. Dick needed to get to Slade.

"Thank you." he said again, forcing the words out. "Why don't we-"

"Who knows, maybe your countries will turn into one huge empire one day.'' The man ignored him with a hum. "Connecting countries by marriage, by wedding the very heir to the throne at that, that surely is something! Makes for one hell of a strong bond too. Your husband had to really think it through."

Dick clenched his fingers on the goblet. He didn't know the real reason why Slade decided to ask for his hand in marriage and didn't want to know, didn't want to even think about it. No matter, it didn't change a single thing. Slade never told him what reason he had and Dick had no intention of asking. But people always had thousands of different theories on the topic and they loved to talk about it, even to Dick's face.

"If you say so." Dick settled on, frowning just slightly. "Now, please-"

"But you know, Your Majesty... this whole union was not a very smart idea."

Dick froze, "What?"

"There are a lot of other kingdoms who think so as well. It's... largely inconvenient, at the best." The man smiled, all sharp teeth. Dick instinctively took a step back. "Oh, but don't worry, Your Majesty. They're all cowards - they would never admit it to you, much less do anything about it. Especially now, when you have gained so much power."

Dick moved another step back but this time the man followed him, still grinning like a wolf closing off on his prey. Slade was still engaged in a talk with that nobleman, they were too far away and the man in front of Dick was speaking too softly for anyone to notice that something was wrong.

Maybe Dick could scream? That surely would bring everyone's attention.

"What do you want?" Dick demanded, still trying to move away to a safe distance from him. "Why are you telling me all this?"

"I just thought it's something you should know of, Your Majesty." the man shrugged carelessly. "It's pretty useful knowledge, I would say."

"You should tell it to my husband then."

"Ah, no. There's no time for that."

Dick's breath hitched. He looked over to Slade again, this time to see him look back. Slade must've seen in Dick's face how disturbed he felt, because he said something quickly to the lord beside him and started towards them.

"And why is that?" Dick breathed out, looking back to the man in front of him.

That awful smile widened, "Because we are the ones who will do something about it."

Then everything happened so fast. Dick didn't even notice him move. There was just a flick of silver as the man slipped a knife out and plunged it right into Dick's stomach.

All the air left his lungs in a second, as if the steel of the blade inside him chased all of it away, as if there wasn't enough space for both of it in Dick's body at once. The man yanked the knife out in a quick move and Dick's knees collapsed under his own weight when he tried to get away. He wasn't even aware of it happening - one moment he was still moving away on wobbly legs, and the next he was already on the ground. Someone was screaming. Red began to spread across Dick's chest, thoroughly staining the white material of his ceremonial clothes.

"Dick!"

Dick instinctively pressed a hand against the wound but it wasn't enough, the blood kept gushing out. The man in front of him was still smiling, cruel and cold. His clothes were now slightly red from Dick's blood.

"Sorry, my prince." he said, raising the knife to attack again. "Nothing personal."

Dick could barely move. He tried to crawl away, put any kind of distance between himself and his attacker but at the same time he felt as if the hand he was pressing against the wound was the only thing keeping him alive. He tried, he was doing his best, but it wasn't enough, he was going to die-

Before the man managed to reach him, a red-haired figure ran into him at full speed, knocking them both to the floor. Dick's chest heaved as he watched Wally, with the help of Roy who was right behind him in the wild charge, take the knife away from the man and how they immobilized him completely. Dick was frozen, staring as the man who tried to kill him trashed, trying to break away from the hard grips that pinned him to the floor. Wally snarled at the bastard, before glancing in Dick’s direction. When he met Dick’s eyes, he forced a smile on his lips, as if trying to tell him that everything will be alright.

The arm Dick was using to stay up was shaking with the effort it took him to do so, and someone gently laid him completely on the floor. Someone knelt beside him and began to press at his wound, someone was still screaming over his head. His hand got gripped tightly and he focused to squeeze it back, forcing himself to keep breathing, even if he felt like he was choking. Between one blink and another, Slade was leaning over him.

"Richard." he said urgently and Dick's eyes zeroed on him. Gods, was his hair always this white?

"Slade..." he gasped and Slade's face spasmed. Huh. It was the first time Dick ever called him by his name. "Slade, it hurts-"

"I know. I know but I need you to hold on for a little longer." Slade said, gently brushing the strands from Dick's face. His hands were stained red and his cloak was missing. "You'll be alright. Just keep breathing and don't close your eyes."

Dick nodded slightly but it was harder to keep his eyes open with every other blink. Gods, his eyelids were getting so heavy.

"Don't you dare close your eyes, Richard." Slade growled but Dick barely heard him.

"My father-" he forced out and his hand got squeezed again.

"I'm here, Dickie." someone said and Dick turned his head the other way to see Bruce kneeling by his other side. "Just stay with us, chum, everything will be alright."

Someone was yelling in the distance. Oh, was it Jason? Dick didn't want Jason to see any of this. He hoped his brother was pulled away, that that was the reason why his voice seemed so far away.

"Where the fuck is Villain?!" Slade roared.

Everything was so wet from blood. There was a steady pressure at Dick's stomach kept by someone else and Dick finally allowed himself to pull his own hand away from it. With an effort, he put it at Slade's chest and twisted his fingers into the fabric of his husband's doublet, staining it even more with red.

"I'll be alright." he whispered. There wasn't any strength left in him to speak louder. "Just like you said. But I'm really tired now."

"No, Richard, keep your eyes open." Slade insisted. His face was twisted with worry, lips pressed into a thin line. Dick reached his hand up to stroke at his jaw. "Stay with me."

Slade pressed a kiss to the palm of his hand, fingers digging into Dick's wrist.

"I will." Dick promised. "I'll be alright. You promised me a dance."

There was a grunt in the distance and the sound of a body hitting the floor, and Dick startled, afraid that his attacker managed to get away. But right then Jason slid on his knees to him.

"No, Little Wing-"

But Jason ignored him. He leaned over Dick with a face full of tears and gripped at his shoulder. It made Dick a little bit more awake.

"Dickie, oh Gods-" Jason cried, and Dick wanted to wipe the tears from his cheeks but he didn't have enough strength to break his hand free from Bruce's grip.

"Shh, Jay, don't cry." he managed to mutter. "I'll be just fine, don't worry."

"Wayne, get him out of here." Slade ordered somewhere in the background. "He shouldn't see this."

"I'm not leaving my son alone with you after you neglected the matters of security." Bruce spat out.

"Just fucking do it, you stubborn-"

"How the fuck did your people allowed anyone to bring a weapon to your wedding?!"

"Make space!" someone yelled suddenly and another man leaned over Dick. He looked vaguely familiar and it took Dick several long seconds to actually recognize him. Arthur Villain, Slade's medic. Dick saw him only a few times during his stay in Defiance but he knew the man was as skilled as Leslie. "Fuck."

"Don't 'fuck' me, you son of a bitch, where the hell were you?" Slade demanded with rage, moving away just enough to make space for him. Dick saw out of the corner of his eye how he grabbed Jason by the waist and pulled him away as well, despite his struggles and protests.

"I was celebrating your marriage, how was I supposed to know that something like that will happen?!"

“Are you too drunk?”

“No.”

Dick breathed out slowly. Slade was busy now, with Bruce, Villain and with his arms full of Jason. Surely he won't notice if Dick closed his eyes, just for a moment? Only a minute and then he won't be so tired anymore, he'll be able to keep his eyes open longer.

“We need to get him to infirmary.”

He was vaguely aware of someone hoisting him up in their arms but then his head lolled back, and he let the darkness envelop him completely.

#AND THEN HE DIED #nah im kidding #but wouldn't that be fun?#as always thank you for reading -3-#i swear i'm getting better with answering all the asks #im so sorry #oh and in a few days i'll start posting this au on ao3 so stay tuned!#sladick royal au #sladick #sladedick #dickstroke #my writing

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