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aroacemisha · 2 years

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Little Secret

A Retired Leaders AU fic. It’s technically a rewrite of an older fic called ‘How A Scout Met A Prince’, because it covers the same event, but it’s significantly different.

This is how Steven and Hunter met.

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It was a typical afternoon in the Emperor’s castle. Every member of the coven was busy with something, be it receiving orders, going out on missions, or any other assignment.

Steven was on guard duty that day, watching over a hallway around the corner from the monarch’s own personal chambers.

The Emperor has increased security around his quarters over the last three or four years, and he has been spending a lot more time inside, but he never gave an explanation for it, leaving his coven with nothing but speculation.

The most common belief was that his health might have been deteriorating, be it merely a result of old age or a worsening of the scars that wild magic left on him decades ago. Whatever the reason was, all that was known for sure was that the area surrounding his room was more heavily guarded than before.

Though, strangely, none of the guards were ever stationed in the hallway his room was located in - they were always at a distance, standing in adjacent corridors. Perhaps he simply didn’t want them to see the inside of his room whenever he opened the door, but it has happened before, and he seemed unbothered by it.

All those questions and unexplained oddities have crossed Steven’s mind, while he leaned against the wall with arms folded, pondering. He has gotten this assignment before, but it never brought him any closer to the truth, despite his proximity to the Emperor.

He had occasionally stared in the direction where the Emperor’s chambers lie, but knew that - no matter how curious he was - he couldn’t go there without either permission or direct orders to do so, both out of respect for the monarch’s privacy and out of fear of potential consequences.

Given how little activity took place in that part of the castle, the scout’s shift was uneventful and quite lonely. Once or twice he opened Penstagram and scrolled through the feed to pass time.

One post caught his eye - his brother had posted a picture with his spouse, announcing that they were having a kid.

Steven’s pointed ears drooped. He was happy for Jasper, but he couldn’t help but feel a light sting of jealousy. He quickly commented “Congrats!”, before putting away the scroll.

He crossed his arms again, staring down at the floor. Now that he has recently hit 40, being reminded of his own lack of a partner or children was beginning to bug him. He enjoyed being in the Emperor’s Coven, but he was starting to - ever so slightly - regret joining it, since it made achieving his other dream harder.

His musings were interrupted by a faint noise coming from the adjacent hallway, in which the Emperor’s quarters were located. His left ear twitched, and he glanced in that direction for a moment, but, seeing no change from before, he looked away once more. Perhaps the monarch dropped something, or maybe another scout did.

A quiet pause followed. But it didn’t last long.

Repeated quiet noises resembling steps came from the same place, slowly getting louder.

And then Steven heard something staggering.

“Hello?” - a child’s voice called.

The scout’s eyes shot wide open beneath his mask. In utter disbelief, he turned towards the adjacent hallway again.

Right by the corner stood a little blonde kid, four or five years of age, in a midnight blue dress, white leggings and black ballerina flats, curiously staring back at him.

Steven’s jaw dropped. Who in the world brought their child here?

“Uh.. Hey, little guy” - he raised his hand in a greeting.

“What’s your name?” - the kid quickly approached him. His eyes were dark magenta, quite an unusual color.

“I’m Steven” - the scout got down on one knee and smiled, lifting his mask. - “And what’s yours?”

“Hunter!”

“So.. how did you get here, Hunter?”

“I came from over there” - the boy gestured towards the adjacent hallway, where the Emperor’s chambers were located. - “That’s where my room is”

“Your room?” - Steven blinked in confusion.

“Yeah! I live in a biiig room with a big bed” - Hunter spread his arms, - “and uncle Belos lives there too!”

Steven quietly gasped. The Emperor has a kid? That explains so much...

“Do you know uncle Belos?” - Hunter placed his hands on Steven’s knee.

“Y-yes, I know him. I live here too!” - the scout smiled.

“Really? Where?”

“My room is in a different part of the castle”

“Can we go there?”

“Well.. Not right now. Your uncle gave me a very important task: to stay here and watch over this hallway” - Steven raised his finger. - “I can’t leave until my shift is over and another scout takes my place”

“But I wanna gooo” - Hunter frowned, tightly grasping Steven’s pants.

“Don’t worry, we’ll go there someday. Just not now”

“But I wanna go now”

“We can’t go anywhere without your uncle’s permission” - Steven shook his head.

Hunter’s ears drooped, and his eyes began to glisten.

The scout bit his lower lip and knit his brows, as he briefly averted his gaze. Then his expression became more relaxed again, and he gently placed a hand on Hunter’s cheek.

“Hey. I’m sorry we can’t go” - he said softly. - “But if you want, maybe we could do something here” - he smiled. - “Got any ideas?”

The boy’s face quickly brightened up.

“I wanna be held!” - he exclaimed.

“Okay” - Steven carefully picked him up. - “I just hope your uncle won’t mind” - one corner of his lips perked up in a slightly nervous way, and he knit his brows.

Hunter eagerly cuddled up to him, grasping his cloak.

The scout couldn’t help but smile, seeing how happy the little prince was in his arms. His eyelids drooped, and his worries subsided. He gently stroked the boy’s back, to which Hunter responded by tightening his grip.

But then the scout froze still, his smile gone and eyes widened, as he saw the Emperor himself quickly approaching them.

“Hunter!” - the man exclaimed in a hushed voice, clearly displeased.

Steven drew his brows together, raised his chin and saluted the monarch, whose 7 foot frame was now towering over him, but he was ignored.

“What in Titan’s name are you doing here?” - the Emperor continued, still quiet, likely to avoid attracting attention.

“I found a new friend!” - Hunter pulled on Steven’s cloak.

The masked man let out an irritated sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Thank you for catching him” - he said to the scout. - “While I was asleep, the little rascal took my staff and opened the door with it”

“Smart kid, huh?” - Steven smiled nervously.

“Yeah! I’m a genius!” - Hunter proudly placed a clenched fist on his waist.

The Emperor reached for his nephew.

“Hand him over to me, uh.. what’s your name, again? Steven?” - he lifted a finger.

“Yes, sir” - the scout carefully gave him the kid. He was somewhat surprised that the monarch knew his name.

“Follow me” - the Emperor made a corresponding gesture with his hand. - “I’d like to talk to you”

As the two made their way to the royal quarters, Hunter peeked out over his uncle’s shoulder to smile at his new acquaintance. Steven did the same in response, but his focus quickly shifted back to the Emperor, when they were about to enter the room.

Having never been inside before, he hesitated for a brief moment, before finally going in. Once he was there, the monarch set his nephew down on the large canopy bed and magically closed the door from a distance.

“Can you put Hunter to sleep?” - he asked the scout. - “Assuming you know how to do that”

Steven nodded.

“But I don’t wanna sleep!” - the little prince protested.

The Emperor raised a finger.

“Shush!” - he asserted softly.

Meanwhile, Steven drew a spell circle in the air to summon his gui-scar. He walked up to the bed, and, as he played a short tune, the strings emitted a soft blue mist. Once Hunter breathed it in, his eyes slowly closed. The Emperor broke his fall with magic, and he curled up on the bed, peacefully asleep.

The scout drew another spell circle, and his instrument vanished as quickly as it appeared.

“You know..” - he mumbled, his gaze still focused on the resting child. - “If I hadn’t met Hunter, I would’ve never guessed you had a kid.. I didn’t even realize he was yours until he said so” - he paused. - “..Does anyone else know?”

“Only a very small number of people” - replied the Emperor.

The two men stood in silence for some time, watching Hunter sleep, endeared by the sight.

Then the Emperor snapped his fingers, and a pair of memory tweezers materialized in his hand.

“I appreciate your assistance” - he turned to the scout, - “but, unfortunately, I can’t let you keep your memories. This incident shall be forgotten in its entirety”

“But why?” - Steven looked up at him. - “..If you don’t mind me asking, sir” - he squeezed one hand in the other, rubbing its back with his thumb.

“The fewer people know about him, the fewer chances there are of someone.. undesirable finding out, whether intentionally or by accident” - explained the Emperor. - “I’m just trying to keep him safe”

“I understand” - said Steven. Then he knit his brows and glanced at the sleeping child. - “Wait- Are you going to erase his memories too?”

The monarch hesitated to reply.

“I.. haven’t decided yet. Why are you asking?”

“Well.. On one hand, if you don’t do it, he’ll probably try to sneak out and look for me again, which could lead to more people finding out about him. But on the other hand..” - Steven’s pointed ears drooped, - “erasing a child’s memories and doing it without their knowledge feels.. wrong”

The Emperor stood still for a moment. Then he bowed his head, placing a hand upon his mask.

“You’re right... This is more complicated than I thought..” - he sighed. - “Ah, what am I to do?”

The memory tweezers disappeared, and he turned to the side, staring down at the floor as he pondered the question.

Steven rubbed his chin.

“If you just need to make sure this stays secret, I can take an everlasting oath” - he suggested.

As the Emperor turned his gaze back, the scout’s hand was already extended through a spell circle, waiting for him to take it. The monarch was about to do just that, but once his hand was mere inches away from Steven’s, he pulled it back and curled his fingers.

“Mm.. I believe going to such an extreme is unnecessary” - the Emperor motioned his hand dismissively.

“Really?” - Steven raised his brows, and his spell circle disappeared.

“Your eagerness to take the oath is reassuring in and of itself. Besides, you are a friend of Lilith’s, so I’d like to believe you are trustworthy. A simple promise should suffice”

“Then I promise to keep Hunter’s existence secret for as long as you wish, my liege”

“Hm..”

A brief pause followed.

Then the Emperor gently took Steven by the chin, with his thumb and index finger placed on either side, and raised his head, staring intently into his wide open eyes, seemingly studying him. The scout’s heartbeat quickened, and a light blush appeared on his cheeks.

“Hm. I like you” - the Emperor said in an intrigued voice. - “Perhaps you could be quite useful”

The way he spoke gave Steven goosebumps, the kind one gets when listening to great music. He had always liked the mysterious ruler’s sweet, soothing voice, but never before has it been so alluring. He nervously gulped.

The monarch slowly pulled back his hand, and the scout turned his stare towards the floor.

“Do you have any experience in babysitting?” - the Emperor asked.

Steven touched his chin.

“N-not really. But I know how to handle children” - he looked up at the taller man.

“Hm..” - the Emperor folded his arms. - “Well, then. Your shift is over in 12 minutes. Return to me when it’s done, the door will be unlocked. You will babysit Hunter for two hours, and, if I like the results, it might become your regular assignment”

The scout’s widened eyes sparkled. He glanced at the sleeping kid, and his lips perked up in a smile.

He bowed to the monarch, lowered his mask and headed out of the room, excited for the task ahead of him.

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