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444namesplus · 5 months ago

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'aamunrai 'aawonyai 'aeben 'aerau 'aitan 'akan 'alingan 'anra 'aofen 'aofunnon 'aoogen 'aoven 'aozenban 'axaasen 'enioio 'enronyan 'inmaukae 'intao 'oncaja 'onxa 'unba Aakaei Aarunyaa Adenzon Aeauhun Aema Aesaoe Afa Aieui Aihinga Aii Aioo Aiuaui Amaman Ao Aoeomae Aohanpau Aui Auica Aukaikun Aulon Auna Auo Autinbao Auu Ava'on Axaoo Ayarun Azao Babancae Banben Baoufen Basaio Bawene Benwaa Binyen Bonbaujan Bonee Caagai'ai Cabonren Caeau Caeu Caeuei Caewen Cai'an Caiga Calae Camaaa Caman Canei Canhinten Canpao Canu Canvaida Caosan Caren Casae Ceno Cenoaeo Cinei Cinvoncin Cinyun Conu Cuna Cungaa Cunkonwai Cunpawan Daeoo Dagaotai Daiexa Dana Dangao Daniafaa Daoiva Daoraowai Dauguna Dauhansa Dawaa Denokin Dinmaayan Dino Dinuu Dinyan Dinza Dono Dunui Eaoba Edenra Eemaiyan Eeou Egon Ehena Einin Eiu Eixa Eixenoi Ekan Elaeo Eofun Eolen Eonaa Eoron Etun Euie Ewunhen Exao Eyan Faijanu Failan Fanla Fansan Faoei'un Faooe Faopinxa Faupa Fenton Fintanbun Funnauo Funsaou Gaae Ganbunba Gaoama Gaoida Gauhun Gauvunzai Gensonu Genuo Gonpao Gunee Haaaiha Habonba Haeio Haeiyae Haeuala Haiua Hano Hao'ene Haoau Henkoncin Henulin Hono Iana Iataza Iaza Ibane Icenxen Iejunka Ienuni Iesacin Ifa Ifun Iginhan Igun Iiei Ijun Inauta Ioei Ioie Iosandun Iuhen Iuu Iza Jaahan Jaaojau Jadajin Jairaiua Jaixa Jaixae Jamenda Janorae Janvao Jaoio Jawa Jazen Jinsai Jinwa Jonfongen Kaacanu Kaexaeson Kagan Kai Kaii Kairinui Kaiwan Kakoneo Kani Kankuni Kano Kanpinya Kaoi'an Kaoojun Kaora'au Kasun Kataiden Kaumaae Kinya Kinyamau Konae Konhai Konpaejae Laela Lahaison Laika Lanatin Lanfanoo Lawa Lazao Linaotan Linkon Lunpao Maaakan Maau Mabun Macaa Maeaeya Maecen Mafin Maipa Maka Mannunwen Mansaeda Marini Maula Mawinla Men'anda Mena Menlen Mini Minodai Monbai Monfa Munbaoui Muniau Munoton Nae Naeu Nagatan Nagin Naifaagaa Naitaka Naitau Nanha Nanvaa Nazaabaa Nenoefan Nenou Nunda Nunihae Oa'in Oabai Oai Oaoae Oaraidan Odinfai Oeaa Oeu Oeuca Oi'ansan Oiwon Oiyapa Oizonpau Oma Omin Omonlan Onania Oo Oogunuo Oooi Osaoba Ouha Ounin Ouuden Ovan Oxao Paagauue Paawin Paea Paebin Paieowan Panfenmin Panjao Paocenven Paou Penkaalon Penwenlan Pincin Ponooten Punnon Punvonyan Ra'on Raeraa Raie Raka Ranaoa Ranue Raokuna Rasenio Rawine Renepa Renhau Rinpen Ronfan Runzani Saaxa Saecai Sai Sarao Senau Senoofa Sinmaua Sinue Sonzae Taaoidaa Taayan Taitaagae Tancapai Tao Tauca Tauo Tineukai Tonmoncai Tundaou Tunla Tunpa Ua Uapen Uaraiee Uba Ue Uinaao Umavao Uotau Uouilun Usa Usaxa Uudan Uuedan Uueea Uuminva Uuoo Uusun Uza Uzin'aa Vaaca Vabon Vae Vaewaue Vai Vaia Vaiken Valaaten Vanfai Vansunau Vantin Vanyun Venfaedon Venzaa Vinfuni Vingae Vinkondin Vonioxun Vonsonlon Vonwun Vunven Waaue Waca Wae Waeeuu Wakenzao Wan'un Wandainan Wanven Waohini Waomun Waxaeau Wazon Winlaaxon Winuiu Won'a Woncin Xaefaiie Xaejao Xafin Xankao Xao Xaoka Xenjinsa Xino Xinou Xonben Xonova Xonzenkon Xunaufae Xunbae Xunsino Xunya Yaacano Yaesan Yaka Yauoxen Yene Yenia Yennin Yincan Yonrai Yunlune Za'ai Zaacincau Zaaha Zafaa Zahunra Zaja Zanaigen Zanpa Zansa Zanzaemao Zaoe Zaoiira Zaorai Zaouata Zenxon Zin'en Zunjuncen Zunlaifan

'a 'aa 'ae 'ai 'an 'ao 'au 'en 'in 'on 'un a aa ae ai ao au ba baa bae bai ban bao bau ben bin bon bun ca caa cae cai can cao cau cen cin con cun da daa dae dai dan dao dau den din don dun e ea ee ei eo eu fa faa fae fai fan fao fau fen fin fon fun ga gaa gae gai gan gao gau gen gin gon gun ha haa hae hai han hao hau hen hin hon hun i ia ie ii io iu ja jaa jae jai jan jao jau jen jin jon jun ka kaa kae kai kan kao kau ken kin kon kun la laa lae lai lan lao lau len lin lon lun ma maa mae mai man mao mau men min mon mun na naa nae nai nan nao nau nen nin non nun o oa oe oi oo ou pa paa pae pai pan pao pau pen pin pon pun ra raa rae rai ran rao rau ren rin ron run sa saa sae sai san sao sau sen sin son sun ta taa tae tai tan tao tau ten tin ton tun u ua ue ui uo uu va vaa vae vai van vao vau ven vin von vun wa waa wae wai wan wao wau wen win won wun xa xaa xae xai xan xao xau xen xin xon xun ya yaa yae yai yan yao yau yen yin yon yun za zaa zae zai zan zao zau zen zin zon zun

'aamunrai 'aawonyai 'aeben 'aerau 'aitan 'akan 'alingan 'anra 'aofen 'aofunnon 'aoogen 'aoven 'aozenban 'axaasen 'enioio 'enronyan 'inmaukae 'intao 'oncaja 'onxa 'unba aakaei aarunyaa adenzon aeauhun aema aesaoe afa aieui aihinga aii aioo aiuaui amaman ao aoeomae aohanpau aui auica aukaikun aulon auna auo autinbao auu ava'on axaoo ayarun azao babancae banben baoufen basaio bawene benwaa binyen bonbaujan bonee caagai'ai cabonren caeau caeu caeuei caewen cai'an caiga calae camaaa caman canei canhinten canpao canu canvaida caosan caren casae ceno cenoaeo cinei cinvoncin cinyun conu cuna cungaa cunkonwai cunpawan daeoo dagaotai daiexa dana dangao daniafaa daoiva daoraowai dauguna dauhansa dawaa denokin dinmaayan dino dinuu dinyan dinza dono dunui eaoba edenra eemaiyan eeou egon ehena einin eiu eixa eixenoi ekan elaeo eofun eolen eonaa eoron etun euie ewunhen exao eyan faijanu failan fanla fansan faoei'un faooe faopinxa faupa fenton fintanbun funnauo funsaou gaae ganbunba gaoama gaoida gauhun gauvunzai gensonu genuo gonpao gunee haaaiha habonba haeio haeiyae haeuala haiua hano hao'ene haoau henkoncin henulin hono iana iataza iaza ibane icenxen iejunka ienuni iesacin ifa ifun iginhan igun iiei ijun inauta ioei ioie iosandun iuhen iuu iza jaahan jaaojau jadajin jairaiua jaixa jaixae jamenda janorae janvao jaoio jawa jazen jinsai jinwa jonfongen kaacanu kaexaeson kagan kai kaii kairinui kaiwan kakoneo kani kankuni kano kanpinya kaoi'an kaoojun kaora'au kasun kataiden kaumaae kinya kinyamau konae konhai konpaejae laela lahaison laika lanatin lanfanoo lawa lazao linaotan linkon lunpao maaakan maau mabun macaa maeaeya maecen mafin maipa maka mannunwen mansaeda marini maula mawinla men'anda mena menlen mini minodai monbai monfa munbaoui muniau munoton nae naeu nagatan nagin naifaagaa naitaka naitau nanha nanvaa nazaabaa nenoefan nenou nunda nunihae oa'in oabai oai oaoae oaraidan odinfai oeaa oeu oeuca oi'ansan oiwon oiyapa oizonpau oma omin omonlan onania oo oogunuo oooi osaoba ouha ounin ouuden ovan oxao paagauue paawin paea paebin paieowan panfenmin panjao paocenven paou penkaalon penwenlan pincin ponooten punnon punvonyan ra'on raeraa raie raka ranaoa ranue raokuna rasenio rawine renepa renhau rinpen ronfan runzani saaxa saecai sai sarao senau senoofa sinmaua sinue sonzae taaoidaa taayan taitaagae tancapai tao tauca tauo tineukai tonmoncai tundaou tunla tunpa ua uapen uaraiee uba ue uinaao umavao uotau uouilun usa usaxa uudan uuedan uueea uuminva uuoo uusun uza uzin'aa vaaca vabon vae vaewaue vai vaia vaiken valaaten vanfai vansunau vantin vanyun venfaedon venzaa vinfuni vingae vinkondin vonioxun vonsonlon vonwun vunven waaue waca wae waeeuu wakenzao wan'un wandainan wanven waohini waomun waxaeau wazon winlaaxon winuiu won'a woncin xaefaiie xaejao xafin xankao xao xaoka xenjinsa xino xinou xonben xonova xonzenkon xunaufae xunbae xunsino xunya yaacano yaesan yaka yauoxen yene yenia yennin yincan yonrai yunlune za'ai zaacincau zaaha zafaa zahunra zaja zanaigen zanpa zansa zanzaemao zaoe zaoiira zaorai zaouata zenxon zin'en zunjuncen zunlaifan

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space-mermaid-writing · 3 months ago

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Consort and King [IronStrange]

Summary: Anthony Stark, King of Midgard, needs a spouse. Whether he wants one or not. So he accepts an arranged marriage with the Prince of Kamar-Taj – a man he has never met in his life to the day they are standing in front of each other at the altar, speaking their vows. Is it possible that the feeling of duty grows into something more? Will their future be happy?

Relationship: Tony Stark / Stephen Strange

Tags: arranged marriage au, royal au, strangers to husbands, enemies to lovers, slow burn, idiots in love, fluff, hurt/comfort, miscommunication, all the good stuff

Author's note: Beta by @kvjjjjjj

15 Dealing with the rogues

The portal took Stephen and the other masters to the underground catacombs beneath the temple, where the earlier explosion had been heard. They stepped right into what seemed to be the middle of a summoning.

There were lines and symbols drawn onto the ground and the rogues stood in a large circle, chanting in an ancient language. The black and purple smoke seemed to have originated here.

Whatever they were trying to accomplish, it couldn’t be anything good.

The sorcerer’s of Kamar-Taj immediately attacked; Stephen leading them, sending a powerful beam at one of the rogues. He threw the rogue off his feet. This broke the circle but the others continued their chanting.

It was clear that they were willing to pull through, no matter what.

“They are wearing the mark of the dark dimension!”

Stephen shifted his focus and he realized that the master was right: the rogues had purple glowing marks on their foreheads.

This was bad.

Analyzing the whole situation Stephen noticed that one of the rogue sorcerers standing in the circle had a book hovering in front of him. If Stephen had to bet, he’d say this was the stolen book from the library.

He gritted his teeth as he recognized the rogue's face: it was Kaecilius, a former student of the Ancient One.

And suddenly Stephen had no doubt who had plunged the black dagger into her chest.

Stephen gave the sorcerer closest to him a sign and they attacked Kaecilius together. The other sorcerer, a man around Stephen’s age wearing his brown hair in a ponytail, used a spell to hit the rogue right into his chest.

Kaecilius doubled over in pain.

At the same time, Stephen snagged the book through a small portal – a nifty trick he used to annoy Wong with.

As soon as he got the book in his hand and closed it, the chanting stopped as if a spell had been broken; and all heads turned to him. The marks on their foreheads remained, as well as the hostile look in their purple eyes. It warned Stephen that they would aim to get that book back at any price.

Kaecilius straightened up again, his attention now on Stephen as well. “Look at that! The lost prince has returned.,” he sneered and threw a lightning bolt at him.

Stephen couldn't activate a shield without putting the book down, so he jumped to the side, feeling the heat of the spell way too close for his liking.

For a moment he thought about storing the book in his personal pocket dimension just to keep his hands free. But he couldn’t take on Kaecilius and his zealots at the same time; even with the help of the other masters. They had to split the rogues up.

He weighed his options. He deemed Kaecilius the greater threat. Maybe he was biased, blinded by the image of the Ancient One lying dead on the ground in his mind.

This was personal.

He tossed the book to a younger master nearby; The last time Stephen had seen him before he left for Midgard, he had been wearing the red robes of an apprentice. Now he was wearing the colors of a master.

“Get that book away from here!”

The sorcerer nodded – his face stern – and with a swift motion he opened another portal.

Several sorcerers and rogues followed him, starting a chase. Stephen didn't have time to help him, he was busy dodging another attack from Kaecilius.

“It’s too late,” the rogue sorcerer taunted him. “The channel is already open. The power we draw from it is greater than you could ever imagine. Even your new piece of jewelry won't help you.” His purple blazing eyes darted to the necklace on Stephen's chest, hungrily. “But go ahead. Play with your new toy.”

Only the most powerful mages could actually use it. That was why the Ancient One had had to die.

Stephen summoned a golden mandala, which he threw at Kaecilius. The rogue swiped it away easily.

Both men didn’t hold back in the fight that followed. They threw spells at each other, blocking the other’s magic or redirecting it. More than once, a charge of magic slammed into one of the rock walls and caused the ground to shake.

Stephen noticed that Kaecilius moved mainly within the drawn summoning circle. And it seemed to enhance his magic even further. Like he had said: although the ritual had been interrupted, a channel remained open to the Dark Dimension.

Having this realization, Stephen quickly came up with a plan to get the rogue out of there. And he put this plan into action as soon as he saw an opportunity.

He dodged the falling debris caused by another quake. Using his slingring, he appeared right next to Kaecilius.

As the rogue whirled around to face him, Stephen opened another portal, directly behind him. Before Kaecilius was able to throw up a shield, Stephen hit him with a full blast. He didn't knock the rogue off his feet, but Kaecilius did stumble backwards through the circle.

Stephen followed him, not letting the rogue out of his eyes, and stepped on the roof of one of the temples, which were still surrounded by the black and purple smoke.

The new location up in the air didn’t stop them from continuing to fight. Kaecilius didn’t even bat an eye at it. Stephen simply put a spell on his boots to keep balance, before charging at the rogue.

_________________

Tony helped Wong and some of the other masters to clean up. Most of the damage had been done in the courtyards and between the temples. The sorcerers used magic to repair broken windows and balconies and to get rid of any quicksand.

Overall, it seemed like the attack had been a diversion. And a good one. Tony briefly wondered what kind of enemy Stephen was facing.

Since Tony couldn't contribute much to the repairs with no magic, he assisted a few injured sorcerers to get to the healers.

Suddenly he and Wong saw a flash of orange as a portal opened nearby. Several sorcerers and rogues were running through and past them.

Wong raised his hands for a spell, glancing at Tony, who had his hands on the hilt of his sword. Then he looked back at the sorcerers. He seemed undecided, weighing the potential danger against Stephen's silent plea to protect Tony's life.

The king took the decision away from him, sprinting ahead. “Let's get them!”

That was all the conviction Wong needed, and he quickly caught up to Tony's side. He created a magic rope, similar to the whips Stephen often used fighting, but this time with a knife at one end. He whirled it around and swung it in the direction of a rogue, stopping him from pursuing.

More people were portaling in and out and soon it was a mess to recognize who was a sorcerer of Kamar-Taj and who was a rogue without looking into their faces first; something that needed a few seconds which Tony did not always have in a fight.

Watching them, Tony quickly found that the rogues seemed to be chasing a young man who had an old book tucked under his arm.

Someone grabbed Tony’s arm, and he whirled around to shake off whoever it was – until he noticed it was Wong, who pulled him towards a bunch of portals.

“This way.”

They joined the chase to eliminate the hunters of the book.

Tony recognized the hallway they stepped into next. He had been here in the past two days, even though he wasn’t able to nail down which of the temple buildings it belonged to.

It didn’t matter anyway, because suddenly gravity shifted and the hallway seemed to rotate. Tony elbowed a rogue who staggered too close to him in the side, when the wall that had been to his left was now the new ground.

Man, magic was really annoying.

Tony used Whisperwind to deflect another attack from the rogue he had just elbowed. They had a buzz-cut and their slender form made it impossible to tell their gender. Tony struck their leg, made a lunge to the side and immediately struck them again at the shoulder.

Gravity shifted again. Tony lost his footing and stumbled over a chandelier and right into another portal.

He landed in snow, somewhere in the mountains. It was cold and windy. Tony hated it instantly, but looking up he saw the portal was too high in the air to get back.

He rolled out of the way when Wong came through. The sorcerer landed at his side with grace. He was probably used to these kinds of stunts.

Well, back to the chase.

Tony threw his blade the same time Wong threw his rope dart, both of them hitting different rogues that were still after the book guy. The young sorcerer had toppled to the ground – and he didn’t get back up. When he tried his leg gave in under him, preventing him from getting out of here.

Tony doubted it was his only injury.

The king engaged the rogues in a duel while Wong opened another portal under the young sorcerer with the book; and closed it as soon as he fell through with a yelp.

Now it was Tony and Wong against three rogues. Angrily, they turned towards them.

Tony had Wong's back while he continued to attack them from afar with Whisperwind.

He wasn't stupid enough to face magic without a shield of his own. Luckily, Wong provided one for both of them. Tony had already noticed after today that the sorcerer was a skilled fighter, and between the two of them, the rogues stood no chance.

After the last of the three bodies had hit the snow, he pulled his blade back onto the hilt.

“Can we get out of here?” He asked, freezing from the cold.

He was shivering from the weatherand sweating from the fight at the same time. His breath came in little puffs of white fog whenever he exhaled, and he barely felt his fingers anymore.

Used to the warm climate of Midgard, Tony was not a fan of these winter mountains. Especially when he wasn’t wearing any warm clothes.

Wong nodded and opened another portal. Tony was glad to step through it, and he saw they were back in the garden of the Sorcerer's Temples.

Apparently Wong had followed the sorcerer's magical signature with the book or something like that, because they found the man. His legs had failed him and he had sunk to the grass, leaning his back against a tree.

He panted heavily, his fingers raised for another spell. As soon as he saw Wong, he dropped his hands, relief visible on his face.

“You did good,” Wong reassured the young master as he stepped up to him. “I’m taking this from here.”

The young man nodded and handed him the book. “Thank you, Master Wong,” he sighed, closing his eyes for a second.

Wong hung the book on his belt before making it disappear with a gesture.

“Where did it go?” Tony asked because apparently this old looking book was important enough that people would kill for it.

Wong patted the space where it should be, and there was a surprising solid noise.

“I hid it from prying eyes.”

“Great.” Tony turned back to the injured sorcerer. “Let's bring him to the infirmary. Can you open another one of those magic circles?”

“It’s called a portal.” Wong rolled his eyes, but there was no bite in his voice.

“Of course. Whatever you say.” Tony helped the younger sorcerer onto his feet. The boy groaned in pain as soon as he moved his leg.

Tony put his arm around his shoulders, taking most of his weight.

“Thanks,” the sorcerer muttered. “I’m Aimar, by the way.”

"Tony." Aimar didn’t seem to be aware that he was talking to royalty. Tony helped him limp through the portal that Wong had opened. “Don’t worry, you will be back in shape in no time.”

Aimar hummed. “Did we win?”

“There may be some of them left, but we will get them. You rest.”

The sorcerer nodded.

Tony helped him sit down on an empty bed in the infirmary and Aimar passed out almost instantly. Tony waved over a healer before he and Wong went back outside; this time through the front door.

Just as he was about to descend the steps of the temple, he noticed a movement and looked up. Stopping in his tracks he stared as he saw Stephen fighting another sorcerer on the roof of a temple.

Kaecilius hurled a powerful spell at Stephen, some kind of purple beam. Tony didn’t see what Stephen did, but before the beam hit him, it exploded into hundreds of butterflies. They scattered in all directions.

“Wong!”

Wong, who was instructing some apprentices, whirled around, alarmed by the king’s worried voice. His eyes followed Tony’s pointing arm.

Stephen moved as if his shoulder was injured. His movements were no longer fluid, his face tense. He was biting back the pain.

Nevertheless, he returned the attack. Wind came up, roaring into an almost visible storm of yellow and orange, moving around them. Small, delicate swirls, that suddenly morphed into needles and attacked Kaecilius.

It cut his skin and he let out an angry cry that was heard even in the yards.

Tony hated not being able to do anything to help. Even though he had fought enough wars to know when to join a fight and when to trust others to win. Any interference from him would only hinder Stephen.

He sent a prayer to all known gods that his husband would return safely to his arms.

Stephen mustered up all his strength. He couldn’t just use raw power. Kaecilius simply had more of it.

But he could try the Sorcerer Supreme’s way.

Stephen closed his eyes for a moment. His fingers touched – as he had seen the Ancient One do so often – and he crossed his hands.

The Eye of Agamotto opened, glowing bright green.

Kaecilius laughed. This was Strange’s end. You needed years of training and studies to use the Eye without any consequences. Strange was a fool for trying to use it. It would be his downfall.

As soon as the Eye opened, Stephen felt its power. It was so much more than he had ever imagined. It was like embracing a wave while trying to redirect it with nothing but his bare hands.

His broken hands.

He could only hope it would not drown him.

It was dangerous to experiment with these kinds of powers; it was easy to be corrupted by them – or crushed by them.

At that moment Stephen didn’t care. Anger and grief clouded the rational part of his mind, letting him become careless.

It also allowed him to dig deeper into his own powers.

Kaecilius hurled a spell at him and Stephen wasn’t able to block it; his whole focus went into controlling the Eye. He did manage to stay on his feet, but still slid backwards. It hurt. He was bleeding from somewhere. But there was no time to dwell on it.

The green glowing necklace on his chest felt like a pool of lava. Stephen needed to draw from it without burning his hands. It was an impossible task.

He moved his fingers anyway; in a pattern he had once read about. A spell of banishment, forceful enough for a demon.

A memory of the Ancient One came into his mind. She smiled gently at him – patiently – whenever he had thrown a tantrum. And Stephen had thrown a lot of them when he first started to study magic.

A single tear ran down his cheek.

Another attack hit Stephen and he heard Kaecilius laughing. He clenched his teeth. By now he was standing up only by willpower alone.

“Faith is my sword, truth is my shield, knowledge my armor,” he murmured. It was something the Ancient One had taught him and he had internalized the words.

Everything hurt. Especially his heart.

Stephen's mind wandered to Tony; his brave, beautiful husband, who was still at the temples somewhere. Stephen would defend him, fight for him until his dying breath.

“Let’s see if you still laugh if you meet the demon you planned to summon in person,” Stephen growled through gritted teeth.

The faint green glow that had followed the movement of his fingers, finished its pattern and lit up brightly now.

Kaecilius’ laughter stopped abruptly. There was suddenly fear in his eyes upon realization.

Stephen had done it.

With a grunt he pushed the green magic at the rogue. Kaecilius tried to dodge it, but it was to no avail. The magic wrapped around him, held him tight and confined his movements as well as his voice. The magic had him in its grip and there was no escape.

The green got brighter and brighter until it exploded in a sphere of light, as the rogue sorcerer was catapulted from this world.

Stephen barely noticed it. The blast wave from the explosion had caught him and knocked him backwards off his feet. His focus was solely on controlling the Eye, which was why he lost grip of all the other spells - including the one on his boots that had been holding him on the roof.

And thus he fell.

Tony panicked because it was too fast and Stephen was diving head first. His movements were slow and staggered as he tried to perform a spell.

However, nothing happened – his magic failed him – and Stephen continued to fall, unhindered.

Suddenly, a golden glowing portal opened in front of him; its counterpart leading to Wong, who was controlling the spell. Stephen fell through it, hitting the ground at a shallow angle that abruptly ended his fall. He tumbled across the ground, rolling over several times before coming to a halt groaning.

He felt like he had just bruised everything for a second time today.

Tony ran over to him. “Stephen! Shit, are you okay? Talk to me!”

The sorcerer struggled to get to his feet; his legs trembled and gave way under the weight of his body when he tried to move.

Tony’s hands were all over Stephen, making sure he was alive.

“You’re alright! Everything’s fine.” Tony reassured Stephen as well as his own self. Seeing his husband fight – and almost falling to death – had shaken him more than he cared to admit.

“You’re not allowed to do these kinds of stunts again. You hear me? I don’t… I need you to be safe.” His voice was shaking.

“Is he gone?” Stephen asked, his voice rough.

“That other guy? Yes, he exploded or something like that. He is gone.”

Relieved, Stephen stopped trying to get up and rolled onto his back instead. He hissed in pain. “Can you… get a healer please?”

“Of course!” Tony turned around to pass the request to Wong – because there was no way he was leaving Stephen’s side.

Only, Wong was gone. Always a step ahead, the sorcerer had hurried inside the infirmary as soon as he had closed the portal behind Stephen.

Tony praised his quick thinking. Wong deserved a raise.

Stephen was on the verge of fainting, overwhelmed by the pain that seemed to get stronger the more the adrenaline was wearing off.

He didn't notice a rogue sorcerer creeping up, a black dagger in his hand.

Not all of them were neutralized yet. The rogues were defeated, their plan had failed; but that only made the remaining ones angrier.

It was easy to direct that anger onto Strange, who had stepped in to stop them. Who was wearing the Eye of Agamotto now.

Strange, who had left the temples a while ago to play consort.

Strange, who lay defenseless on the ground. Vulnerable.

The rogue saw his chance for a quick revenge. Even with Tony at the sorcerer’s side, he thought they would be an easy target. Tony's clothes were clearly not from Kamar-Taj, so he wasn’t a Master of the Mystic Arts.

Stephen didn’t notice the rogue sneaking up.

But Tony did. With a swift motion he drew Whisperwind and swung the blade at the rogue. “Don’t you dare touch him!” he spat angrily.

Tony had been trained in sword fighting since the age of nine, when he had been tall enough to hold a wooden weapon in his hands, and wield it. His movements were practiced and precise.

The rogue sorcerer was surprised by the fury that met him. He defended himself but he stood no real chance against the fierce husband.

A blade in his chest stopped the rogue’s beating heart.

Tony stepped to him and connected the sword back into one piece before he pulled out the blade, ignoring the blood dripping from it. His eyes darted around to see if anyone else was stupid enough to attack his Stephen.

There was no one.

“Tony..” Stephen coughed weakly and Tony was back at his side instantly.

“I’m here, Stephen.”

Finally, Wong was back, a healer hot on his heels. He was startled by the freshly dead rogue next to Stephen, but Tony gave him a look that reassured him.

Everything was under control.

Tony stayed at Stephen’s side while the healer moved faintly glowing fingers over the sorcerer’s body. Tony wasn’t sure what kind of magic he did, but Stephen exhaled deeply. His breathing seemed to come easier to him after that and he was in less pain. He was even able to sit up.

It didn’t stop Tony from fussing over his husband and he only stopped when Stephen took Tony’s hands into his.

“Tony,” he spoke softly and waited until Tony looked at him. “I’m fine.”

“You’re fine…” Tony echoed.

And it was the truth: by some miracle both men had survived.

Tony accepted a cup of water handed out by some apprentices in red robes and handed it straight to his husband. Stephen drank from it and then gave it back to Tony, wordlessly asking him to do the same.

They were still sitting on the ground near the infirmary. It wasn't even midday. That such an attack had happened in broad daylight was unusual. The attackers had used the cover of the fog, but they must have been very sure of their victory. Maybe overconfident.

Stephen looked at the place where the body of the Ancient One no longer lay, and he realized something. “She knew it.”

“Who?” Tony asked.

“The Ancient One. She must have known what would happen today. She wasn’t even surprised by the alarm. She probably even suspected she would die today, and I was the person she asked to see before she… I think she wanted to make sure I was happy in Midgard.”

Stephen looked at Tony, his eyes suddenly wet.

Tony put a sympathetic hand on his arm. He had known her only for a day, but that was enough to see what an incredible woman she had been. And she had clearly cared about Stephen a lot.

Tony briefly wondered why she had not tried to prevent her death if she had known. He couldn't imagine living with that kind of knowledge and still letting it happen.

He remembered Donna’s words about time magic.

And who knew… maybe the alternatives had been even worse…

“Luckily we had chosen now to visit,” he concluded his trail of thoughts. At least that had given Stephen the opportunity to speak to his mentor one last time.

The sorcerer made a noise that sounded somewhere between a hollow laugh and a painful sob. “There are no such things as coincidences. Everything happens for a reason.”

Tony didn’t fully agree with that. They had planned this trip and informed the Sorcerer Supreme, or really anyone, only after everything had been agreed on.

On the other hand… if Stephen hadn’t stepped in fighting that evil guy – who else would have? And would they have succeeded?

Wong stepped to their side. He had stayed close to him the whole time since the fight had started. Not only as Stephen's manservant but today, as their guard and – most importantly – as Stephen’s friend.

“Stephen, The Council is meeting to decide how to proceed. They asked us to join them.” He turned his face to Tony. “As Stephen’s husband and ally of Kamar-Taj you are welcome as well.”

Stephen nodded and slowly got up to his feet. He briefly staggered when a wave of dizziness overtook for a moment, but he rejected Tony’s hand that tried to support him.

“I’m fine. Just magical exhaustion.”

Tony didn’t know anything about that. Sure, Stephen's exterior wounds seemed healed; mostly scratches and cracked skin from when he was rolling all over the ground. But he didn’t believe that deeper, internal injuries would heal just as quickly. Even with magic.

Tony was glad to be able to join the Council and keep an eye on Stephen. Although he would have understood if he had been excluded from what was clearly a discussion about internal affairs of the sorcerers.

Some might say it was way too early to deal with the political consequences; the damage caused by the attack was still being recorded. The bodies of the fallen were still being carried off the battlefields.

But this had been an act of war and war didn’t care about sensibility or anyone’s grief.

Tony wasn’t fully familiar with the command structure of the sorcerers, but he knew they were in a weaker position without their leader.

Wong led them to a nearby temple and into a smaller room. Several other men and women in robes of various colors had gathered there. They greeted the three men and introduced themselves to the King of Midgard.

Stephen removed the necklace from his neck and put it onto a pedestal that had the exact shape to hold it. Nobody else touched it.

Tony noticed someone had brought food. It was just a big bowl of rice – nobody had time to cook with the attack - but Tony was still thankful. Breakfast seemed like an eternity ago and everyone knew that council meetings could go on forever.

And really: it started with everyone present telling what had happened from their perspective. It helped to get the big picture; like pieces of a puzzle.

It took a long time and often the stories overlapped.

Stephen was the last to talk, as he reported how he managed to defeat the head of the attackers, Kaecilius.

For once, Tony leaned back and listened quietly. He only talked when he was asked to.

The council meeting was long and tedious. Some people were circling back multiple times to discuss why the incident had happened in the first place.

Tony was used to this; it was similar to holding a council with the nobles. And Stephen seemed to feel the same way, except he wasn’t shy about his opinion on that. There was a lot of eye rolling from his side and he took an active part in the discussion, although he no longer lived here. But he was still a sorcerer – the Ancient One had said he had a forever place here – and he was also still their prince.

Then the question was raised who should become the next Sorcerer Supreme, and instantly silence fell.

Stephen looked at the others and needed a moment to realize all eyes were on him. He frowned.

“No.”

“It was supposed to be you,” an older sorcerer interjected. Tony had gotten to know him as Master Hamir. “You are one of the best candidates we have ever had.”

“I have other commitments,” Stephen interjected. “And I'm going to be king.”

“Not of Kamar-Taj. It's a technicality, but the law doesn't apply in this case,” Master Minoru interjected.

Stephen was truly surprised that all his arguments were discarded and instead he even received encouragement. He hadn't expected that; he had been gone for months and had not planned on coming back for anything more than a visit.

He looked at Tony as if asking him for backup. He had made a promise to Tony the day they had married. The day he had signed the wedding contracts.

But to his surprise, Tony sided with the sorcerers. “We could arrange around your new duties.”

“It would mean that I would mostly stay in Kamar-Taj,” Stephen pointed out.

“I know.” Tony stepped closer to his husband. Stephen flinched and it almost looked like he would draw back, but he didn’t move away, his feet planted in the ground. Gently, Tony took the scarred hands into his. “I don’t want to keep you from this. It’s important to you.”

He remembered the Ancient One’s words from yesterday – and oh god it was really only yesterday they had arrived in Kamar-Taj and met her. It felt like weeks ago.

Even if it meant making sacrifices and only getting a small part of Stephen; Tony wanted him to be happy.

The other masters listened in silence. This was now a discussion between husbands. And between the rulers of a kingdom.

Stephen realized just how serious Tony was. He didn’t know how he deserved this man.

When his parents had presented him the marriage proposal he had thought that this part of his life was done and over. But now Tony offered him a second chance.

Stephen knew what it meant for Midgard and its king: Stephen would barely be there, his attention always divided between two realms that weren’t even close to each other.

How often would they even be able to see each other?

It was a big decision to make and Stephen should take his time for it. But he knew what he wanted for his future; even more so after what Tony had just offered.

“You are right.” Stephen was suddenly clear on what to say. “But there’s one thing that you didn’t consider. The most important thing.” There was a smile on his lips. “I love you.”

Tony looked at him in awe, his mind blanking. He needed a second to find his words. “You… uh, really? You really mean that?”

“I truly do. There are other perfectly fine candidates and-…”

Tony pulled him into a kiss. It was a kiss that spoke of whispered confessions and shared dreams.

Stephen would stay at Tony’s side. He chose Tony.

Tony was enough for him.

He felt like the happiest man alive.

Tony only remembered there were other people in the room when someone cleared their throat. He didn’t care; kissing his husband wasn’t the worst he had been caught doing.

Stephen's cheeks, on the other hand, were tinted red. He stood up a bit straighter when he turned to the other masters, but he kept his fingers interlaced with Tony’s, who was outright beaming.

“I decline,” Stephen announced what they had come to realize was his final answer. “That doesn’t mean I won’t aid you if anything happens. Just not in the position as the Sorcerer Supreme. Instead I propose Loki, Prince of Asgard, for that.”

Now, those words surprised some of the sorcerers.

Some others didn’t seem shocked at all.

“We will consider it,” Master Hamir said.

And somehow that marked the end of this meeting.

_____________

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#ironstrange #doctor strange #stephen strange #tony stark #tony stark x doctor strange #Consort and King #marvel #mcu #spacemermaid #Janora #enemies to lovers #slow burn #strangers to husbands #angst #hurt/comfort

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