Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters end up in. Everything else belongs to someone else and that's the way of it.

In The Beginning

Once the world was full of magic, mankind existing with many of the beings and creatures that would eventually be reduced to fairy tales and the world of make-believe as the centuries went by. All things have cycles, you see, and as more beings populated the world the amount of magic available for everyone decreased. Rivalries also sprung up as territories were encroached on, with many beings discovering that they could not coexist peacefully. There were public and private wars amongst the magical beings as well as attacks against and perpetrated by the humans who had limited to no magic, but were cunning and willing to go to great lengths to prove that one didn't need magic to rule.

The dragons suffered greatly, the most sovereign and large of the magical beings needing the most magic as well as suffering from a low birthrate and a…disposition that made it very difficult for them to coexist with anyone. And while most of the other magical races left the world they'd been born to for other worlds where magic was in more abundance, the dragons would not, to their dying breath, leave the world that was THEIRS.

They adapted, taking the form of regular humans so that they could hide in plain sight and conserve their magic and their need for it. Ways were found to survive and flourish in the world now ruled by human men, and their love of money and power made them powerful in the world that thought them mere myth now.

Still, their low birthrate haunted them, the lack of new blood and magic having reduced their lifespans to little more than a regular human's without giving them more children to replace those who passed. Those with human blood in their veins were dismissed as lesser, but if they could prove the ability to shift and work magic they were allowed into the guild of their dragon ancestors. Keeping the bloodlines as pure as possible was still of paramount importance though, and the females and those few male dragons whose magical makeup had granted them the ability to carry young were closely guarded…and controlled by the heads of their families, to the point where they were often stripped of their basic rights in order to better 'guard them' and insure the continuation of their kind.

It is in that world and society that this story takes place.

)

When the news of Chester King the Fourth's death reached the ears of members of the Kingsman Guild no one was really surprised to hear the man had gotten himself killed in challenge. Nor, if the dragons were being honest, were they terribly upset over the young man's untimely passing. The dragon question had been the only son of their current leader, and therefore next in line to run the Guild. The heir had been an immature, selfish, spoiled little bastard with all of his father's ruthlessness but none of Chester King the Third's ability to rein himself in. So no, no one but the boy's father truly mourned the prick's passing until a couple weeks later. For it was then that the horrible consequence of the boy's death was announced to them.

It was then that the majority of the Guild, as well as those who did business with them, were left wishing the bastard had lived longer.

Harry Hart King was their Guild Master's consort, and most everyone loved him. That he'd never been able to provide their leader with a child, and was very unusual in both his form and character for an omega male didn't matter to them. Harry was the heart of the Kingsman Guild, and there were very few members who wouldn't die for him gladly if called to do so.

That being the case, the news that their Guild Master was divorcing the man did not go over well.

Chester King had had two children, both by his deceased first wife, and his one remaining offspring was a weak willed female who couldn't one day lead both by virtue of her status and gender. Now that the only King heir was dead, a new one was needed if a King was going to continue to rule Kingsman. And Harry couldn't provide that heir.

Now if the man had just divorced Harry, and set the omega up for the rest of his life, no one would have minded as anyone with a working brain knew the arranged mating had never been a very happy one. Harry having the chance to find someone who would make him happy would have suited the rest of their guild just fine and no one would have raised a fuss about it.

But that was not what was happening thanks to the female dragon slated to take Harry's place as consort.

Their future consort was...well there were no words one could speak in polite company to properly describe the winged succubus from hell. Veronica had been their leader's mistress for over six years, and to say she hated Harry would be a massive understatement. As would the statement that she had London's most powerful Guild Master by the balls currently, to the point where he would, especially when he was grieving, do anything to make her happy. He needed the heirs her fertile young body could provide him after all.

Which was why, to everyone's shock, it was announced that the old man had decreed that as soon as the divorce went through, Harry would be mated off to Eggsy Unwin.

At first no one knew what to make of that, the very young and low born dominant male not someone who could normally ever hope to mate with an omega dragon of Harry's status and bloodlines, even if Harry was barren and old enough to be the boy's father. It was only with time that the reasons behind the future's consort demand that it be Eggsy came to light, though it was kept from the majority and known amongst the highest members of Kingsman only.

But there were a few in the know, and they whispered to their friends how Veronica had ordered her future mate to force Harry to mate with Eggsy because the bitch had tried to seduce Eggsy into her bed years ago. Tried and failed with the young man telling her, to her face, that he'd sooner shove his cock into a blender and hit puree.

Female dragons held a grudge like no one's business, and that she'd had a mixed blood, low born, barely gotten into Kingsman by the skin of his teeth in the first place dragon tell her that she not only wasn't good enough to share his bed, but had made it clear that he'd sooner be a eunuch…had pretty much guaranteed that if she ever came to enough power she'd make him pay for it. And she had the power now.

Everyone knew that the boy was trying to bring honor and prestige to his family line within the Kingsman Guild, and sticking him with Harry would not only insure that his name died out since he'd have no heirs, but it was well known that Harry had done his best to help the boy out after his father had died protecting Harry from an assassination attempt. The two were practically family, and now Harry would essentially ruin Eggsy's life plans, even if it wouldn't technically be his choice to do so. It also went without saying that the young dominant would go looking for sex elsewhere, which would just continue Harry's history of being reduced to a trophy mate who was ignored and pitied, while his so called mate did as he pleased with others.

It was one hell of a revenge plot, everyone in the know agreed, hurting both parties on numerous levels. And if the other members of the guild hadn't liked both Eggsy and Harry so much they would have been impressed with their new consort, who would be more than an equal for her calculating, often coldblooded future mate.

But those with enough rank and status to speak out against the plan failed to sway the dragon's mind when they broached the subject. His mind was set and the divorce and both matings were only a matter of time.

)

As he waited to see Eggsy for the first time since his mate had informed him of what he intended to do to them, Harry sat listlessly in his chair and debated the merits of just ending his existence. He wasn't quite fifty yet, he had at least thirty more years to live given his excellent health, but if he did live that long Eggsy would be over fifty by the time he was free of him. Stopping Harry from just ending it all was the knowledge that Lee Unwin, Eggsy's father, had given his life to save his, and ending it prematurely would belittle the man's courage and sacrifice. Plus Eggsy would never forgive him, and likely blame himself when the boy already had enough weight on his shoulders. And also, if he was being honest, he did want to live, especially now that he was faced with the possibility of freedom from the role of consort and just being stuck with Chester. But he'd rather continue to be stuck with Chester than ruin Eggys's life. Unfortunately he had no say in that. He was an omega after all, and in their world that meant he was the property of the dominant head of his family. What he wanted didn't matter.

But mating with Eggsy would ruin the boy's life, and Harry was all too aware of that. Eggsy, who was one of the few bright lights in his world, and who Harry considered one of his best friends despite their age difference and teacher/student beginnings. It was he who had gotten Eggsy the position as one of his bodyguards, and he who had taught the boy how to fit into his world and become the gentleman and dominant Harry was so proud the boy had become. His Eggsy was the living definition of what a dominant should be in Harry's opinion.

Once Harry too had been trained to be a dominant; his personality and size such that it had never entertained the minds of his family and friends that he wouldn't grow up to be one of the finest dominants to come out of Kingsman. He'd been trained from birth for that role and then, at eighteen, his whole world had come crashing down on his ears as he became of age and his body revealed that he was capable of bearing young.

And just that quickly his life had been over, reduced to an omega in the blink of an eye. Simply because he could be bred he was given the omega classification and had become his father's property instead of heir. He'd no longer been allowed to train, play physical sports, or have a job least any mental or physical strain affect his fertility or lifespan.

That he'd proven to be barren was the darkest of ironies.

Either way Harry knew all too well what it was to have your whole life ahead of you, and then, in one foul stroke, have all those plans destroyed. To be unable to change what was, or even lash out at the fates for cursing you so thoroughly over a life ruined beyond fixing. And now Eggsy was equally cursed, because Eggsy was now stuck with Harry for the duration of Harry's remaining life.

The knock on his door signaling his guest had arrived, it had taken him almost a year to impress upon the boy the importance of knocking before entering a room. Harry got to his feet and mentally prayed for strength and guidance as he called out for his guest to enter.

When Eggsy walked in with his usual smile, looking so handsome in a suit that Harry had actually had made for the boy for his birthday a couple of years ago, Harry felt his planned speeches fail him, so that he just blurted out what he was thinking.

"I'm so very, very sorry, Eggsy."

"For what? Are you alright? You look like shite." Picking up his pace Eggsy hurried over to stand in front of Harry, reaching up to frame Harry's face between his warm, callused hands, his touch as gentle as always. "Are you sick? Did that fucker or his supreme bitch do something to you while I was away?"

Stunned by Eggsy reaction, there was no way Eggsy couldn't know about what was happening, Harry forgot all about good manners and how a gentleman should behave, and just gaped at the younger man, his brain unable to comprehend how this was going. Had the news so stunned the boy that he was in denial about the fact that there were going to be mated to each other whether they liked it or not? Or was Eggsy thinking to try and go against Chester's plans and quit Kingsman, which would essentially ruin the boy's life since none of the other guilds would take him, and Eggsy was meant to be a Kingsman. And there was no way that he was going to let Eggsy throw away his future to that degree, even though he couldn't think of how he could stop him either.

The hand Eggsy shifted over to press against his forehead, checking his temperature, jolted Harry's thoughts just enough that his words came back to him.

"Eggsy…you know we're getting mated once the divorce goes through." And that wouldn't be long, given that Chester was using his considerable power and influence to get it done as quickly as possible. The bastard wanted his heirs, after all, and there could be no question that they were conceived legitimately.

A laugh escaping the boy's lips, Harry having no idea what to make of the relief that washed over Eggsy's face as he dropped his hands down to Harry's shoulders, giving them a little squeeze. "Fuck, ya scared me there for a sec. Ya're just worried about us getting mated? Why? Ya should be thrilled. Ya'll finally be free of King."

"But your life is going to be ruined."

"My…whatcha talkin bout? My life is gonna be better than ever." Eggsy looked genuinely puzzled. "I'll finally be able ta take proper care of ya, get ya out of here and somewhere where ya can just be who ya wanna be and not who King wants ya to be. And Daisy is thrilled ta hear that ya'll be comin ta live with us. She can't stop talkin bout it. Mum's a little upset, but she'll come around. Ya know how she is."

Given that he was older than Michelle Unwin Harry imaged that a little upset was an understatement. But more importantly... "Yes, I'll be better off, so to speak, I'm talking about your life and what will happen when we're married!"

Blinking in reaction, Harry didn't often raise his voice, Eggsy just looked at him. "What? I mean I'll be out of my bodyguard job, yeah, no way I'm guarding or risking my life for that skanky bitch. But once we're married your assets becomes mine, Merlin said. We'll be good, money wise."

Opening and closing his mouth as the boy's offhanded words registered in his mind, Harry couldn't believe that that hadn't even occurred to him. Because while he had never been allowed to run the businesses or access the significant amount of money his father had left him in his will, by their laws control had gone to his husband, all of those assets had been meant to insure that no matter what Harry was financially secure so long as those resources weren't used up. When Chester divorced him and he married Eggsy, all the money and holdings would transfer over to his new husband, who would then be in charge of taking care of Harry. Chester was going to lose some serious equity over this, especially as Veronica came from a family with excellent bloodlines but only moderate wealth.

It was childish of him, but Harry took a moment to appreciate and bask in that knowledge before stating that, again, he wasn't worried about himself and his future. He was worried about Eggsy's happiness.

"Yeah, I get that. I just don't get why you's is so worried. I think we'll be pretty happy together, yeah?"

Stunned speechless, again, Harry held up a finger to indicate that he needed a minute as he rethought this whole thing again. For the last three days he'd been getting nothing but pitying looks, hearing the whispers as everyone talked about what was going on and expressing their sympathy for Harry and Eggsy, and how their lives were going to be ruined because of Veronica's plan. Not once had he heard anyone state that they'd spoken to Eggsy about his feelings on the matter, everyone assuming, like him, that the boy would hate the idea of marrying him.

But the boy's wealth and status would increase quite a bit by marrying Harry, and it was true that they got along splendidly and enjoyed being together. Really the only downsides were that by marrying him Eggsy would be denied a spouse that he loved and wanted to marry, as well as the lack of heirs. Technically speaking though, there was always the chance that the boy could remarry after his death and have children then.

Eggsy knew that Chester had long sought out the beds of others, and that Harry was used to playing the role of consort and mate in public, and then otherwise being ignored and overlooked by his husband in private. The boy probably assumed they'd just have a marriage in name only. And while Harry didn't like the idea of being cheated on in theory, he hated being told how inadequate and horrible he was in bed even more, Chester's derision and complaints still stinging even though it was well over a decade since the last time his current husband had forced himself to share a bed with him. Plus he was far too old and undesirable for someone like Eggsy, who could have anyone he wanted if the boy set his mind to it. That sex would be something Eggsy would ever want with him…the idea was laughable.

He'd wanted better for Eggsy than a loveless marriage, which was far too typical of their often coldblooded kind. But they did love each other, even if it wasn't a romantic way. Perhaps that would make all the difference? Eggsy seemed to think so.

Ah, the optimism of youth