The Prince's Captain

Chapter Twenty Nine

**T/W mentions of sexual assault**

By midday, Theodore was over being ignored and stormed around the castle until he found Tristan sitting in the garden they had been married in, wanting to reconcile even if he was a little annoyed Theodore walks over to the bench and sits beside him. They stay silent even though Tristan know's he's sitting there, Theodore taking a breath before talking.

"I'm sorry Tristan for how I reacted earlier this morning, I just hate not being able to protect my family and the knowledge that I'd be out for so long has me worried, fighting is all I know and it's what I'm good at." He says and Tristan finally turns his forest green eyes towards him with a soft expression.

"But it's not all you are good at Theodore and it's not all you have to do anymore, especially since we're married. I've been thinking and I would like you to relinquish your title as captain to Ares so I don't have to worry anymore about you almost dying if you go to battle and if you won't do that, then I'd like you to at least put your family first before rushing out to fight because you may not survive every fight and I can't do this without you." Tristan tells him sincerely and Theodore looks at his hands.

"I won't give up being captain but I will stop rushing out to fight." Theodore agrees and shuffles closer to his husband in the hopes that he would welcome a hug, which he does and returns, the two of them sighing with peace.

"I missed you so much Theodore, you have no idea how scared I was that you'd never wake up. I've never felt so terrified and I never want to feel like that again."

"I do know, Triss, I may have been unconscious to you but I could feel everything you were feeling but I'm glad I was under for so long, I don't know if I believed it was her but my mother came to me. She explained about Ares and about my powers and as shocking as it is, I now no longer control all elements completely. I only have fire like Ares does though I can feel the other power laying dormant waiting for when I need it again which I'm hoping never happens. I don't like how it makes me feel a lot of the time. I think the power was getting to my head." Theodore admits and Tristan shakes his head though he slightly understands, it wasn't that far fetched with the religions of the world for his mother to visit Theodore while he lay dying.

"And that's fine if you only have fire, you don't have to have magic for me to love you Theodore. I loved you well before I knew you had magic." Tristan murmurs and Theodore smirks.

"That's right, I'd forgotten you loved me when you were 16 and I was merely a 14 year old. So young Tristan, how did you even know you liked me?"

"It wasn't until years later, did you never catch me staring at you for long periods of time or blushing around you?" Tristan asks and Theodore laughs, pulling the taller man closer.

"I just thought you were awkward around me because of the obvious strength difference."

"No, I was awkward because I thought you were the hottest person I'd ever met."

"Yet you still fucked around with other men." Theodore jokes, Tristan's eyebrow raising.

"And you were fucking around with any woman who showed interest Theodore, I'm surprised you don't have a child already with how many women you were with." They both laugh lightly, Tristan wrapping his arms around Theodore's neck and holding him close as they sit together in the garden for a while longer, both of them breathing in the scent of the other deeply to settle their souls.

Later on, when it's time for dinner, the two men find Dalton with Ares outside the armoury and stop as Dalton grins up at the man, a small bounce to his step and his cheeks red. They paid it no mind as they continued towards them, Dalton spotting them and running to them instantly.

"Uncle Ares just showed me some sword moves but he told me you'd be a better teacher daddy Theo, could you teach me one day to fight too?" Dalton looks hopefully up at Theodore and he smiles softly, he begins pulling him along by placing a hand on the young boy's shoulder.

"Of course, one day when you're big and strong I'll train you, but you have to eat lots of protein and vegetables to get strong enough to train with me." He says softly, like it's a secret.

"I will eat all the vegetables from now on if it means I get to train with you!" Dalton whispers, rushing off towards the dining room to sit and begin piling vegetables onto his plate, Theodore chuckling as he sits across from him.

Julia, Justin and Wyatt are already sitting at the table and Ares is soon sitting beside Julia, pressing a kiss to her temple before sitting completely and Tristan taking his time to sit at the head of the table, his hand capturing Theodore's in a tight grip.

"Glad to see you two made up, what did it take? A garden fu-" Justin is cut off by Wyatt's hand slapping over his mouth, a glare to Theodore and Tristan's eyes.

"I know what you were going to say." Dalton says with a small voice.

"And what's that?"

"Fuck."

"Dalton!" Theodore and Tristan scold, while Justin and the other three snicker.

"You asked me what!" He said back and Tristan shakes his head.

"How do you know that word?" Julia asks with a laugh and he looks at his plate sadly.

"What is it Dalton, what happened?" Theodore asks

"Before you and dad Tristan came home and took over, the men were harsh and treated us kids badly. We weren't always dressed badly and smelled, before you disappeared we were safe and happy. But those men ruined everything, they would come every second day and yell at us kids or beat some of us unconscious while the others got locked up," the young boy pauses and rubs at his eyes, "one day I was one of the kids who got beat and as I layed on the floor I watched one of the men hurt one of the women who looked after us, he told her he was going to fuck the disobience out of her. I didn't know what he meant until he started lifting her skirts, I'd shut my eyes but I could still hear her screaming until her screaming suddenly stopped. I opened my eyes and she was on the floor, bleeding from her head."

The group is stunned into silence, Tristan leaving his seat to pull the now crying boy into his arms, a sob leaving the boy's throat.

"Were you close to her?" Theodore dares to ask and Dalton meets his eyes.

"She was my mother."