#prince sirius

[cndarts]

the crew stoping by a market to fill their supply, sirius is in awe since his life in the palace was very different

loved doing this after fighting with lack of motivation for so long 🤧

[engie-ivy]

(I'm on holiday visiting ancient Roman sites, so about time to post a fic for @wolfstarmicrofic 's Greek & Roman Mythology theme! Unfortunately, that I would be able to keep it short is also a myth...)

4th: Conquest

2263 words

For a simple farm-boy like Remus to end up with the legendarily handsome Prince Sirius of the House of Black of the city of Grimmauld, nothing less than devine intervention would be needed. Luckily for Remus, the gods like nothing more than to meddle in the affairs of mortals...

The Myth of Remus and Sirius

‘Please goddess, answer my call, please goddess, hear my plea.’ Remus repeats the words in his head over and over again, while sitting on his knees on the cold marble of the temple.

Suddenly, he hears a rustling of fabric, and the soft sound of gentle footsteps on the floor. He opens his eyes and lift his head, and despite expecting it, he’s still taken aback by the imposing sight in front of him.

A tall woman, taller than any other woman, taller than any man, taller than any mortal. Flowing silk fabrics draped across her body, but still revealing enough of her ivory skin and soft curves. Hair falling to her waist like woven threads of gold, framing a face with eyes the colour of the ocean and full, pink lips. The most beautiful woman in the world.

Aphrodite, the goddess of love.

“You called upon me?” She asks in a sweet voice as she strides across the marble stones of her own temple to stop in front of Remus.

Remus bows his head again, his forehead almost pressed against the marble. “Yes, my goddess. You must- I mean, I humbly ask you to, no, beg you to please undo the gift you have given me.”

When he dares to look up, Aphrodite has pressed her lips into a thin line. “You were given a gift by an Olympian, and you reject it?”

Remus hands tremble. Insulting one of the gods has never ended well for any mortal, and this might very well mean his death. Or worse.

A week ago, an old woman showed up at the house where Remus and his parents live as simple farmers. She had eyes sunken into her wrinkled face, warts in her neck and on her hands, dirty fingernails and hair like cobwebs. Remus had made her a hot bath, cooked her a meal, and let her sleep in his own bed. The next morning, she revealed herself to be the goddess Aphrodite in disguise, wandering through the mortal world to test the people’s xenia, their hospitality. And for Remus’ great show of hospitality, she had promised to reward him with a gift.

“It’s not that I am ungrateful, my goddess. It was a great honour to receive an Olympian on my doorstep,” Remus carries on, knowing that he can’t back down now. “You were great and good to bestow such a gift upon me,-”

“I know it is what you desired!” Aphrodite interrupts. “I could hear it in your thoughts and see it own your face.” She lifts her chin and tosses her hair over her shoulder. “Do you think I do not know my own field of expertise?”

Remus vehemently shakes his head. “No, no, no. You were right. It is what I desired. Just... not like this.”

Remus comes from a family of simple farmers, but they are not without a claim to fame. With the bee hives and flower fields behind their simple farm house, the Lupins known across the land to produce the highest quality of honey. So much so, that generations ago, King Phineas Black made them the personal supplier of the royal family of the city of Grimmauld. Befriended kings and queens, rich noblemen, travelling heroes, all are hoping to be gifted a jar of Grimmauld’s famous honey when visiting the city.

Each week, Remus’ father would ride his carriage to Grimmauld to personally offer their finest selection to King Orion and Queen Walburga. And when Lyall got to old to make the weekly trip, Remus took over from his father.

His first time in the palace, Remus kneeled in front of the throne with his tray filled with jars of honey, when soft footsteps approached. Someone reached out and took a jar from the tray. “So, for honey to be the best it must have the exact same shade of gold as your eyes,” a rich voice spoke.

When Remus looked up, his breath caught. A young man wearing a perfectly fitted, silk toga was holding one of the honey jars and smiling down at Remus with a soft, warm smile. He was slender, with a narrow waist and a face that seemed to be carved out of marble, with delicate features from an uncanny perfection, but the bright liveliness in his silver-grey eyes showed that he was very much not a statue. His ivory skin and light eyes contrasted beautifully with his long, raven black hair, which was now held back by silver pins embroidered with small, delicate diamonds that perfectly matched the colour of his eyes.

Remus immediately knew he was gone for. He also knew he was far from the first man, nor would he be the last, to be captivated by Prince Sirius of the House of Black.

Prince Sirius is widely known to be the most beautiful man in the world. Stories are told about his beauty far and wide, and none of those stories have been exaggerated. Besides kings, queens, princes and princesses pursuing him, even the gods desire him. Apollo has come down from mount Olympus several times to watch the man or even strike up a brief conversation with him, and it is said that even the highest god Zeus has let his eye fall on Sirius, and everyone knows that when the gods want something, they do not patiently wait for it, or bother with permission for that matter. Therefore, it is assumed that Prince Sirius will very soon be the next conquest of one of the gods.

His parents are practically salivating at the thought. After all, when young Ganymede was abducted by Zeus, his parents received divine compensation, the prized horses gifted to King Tros by the highest god himself being admired and envied all over the world, and Sirius is surely as beautiful as Ganymede, maybe even more so. And even if the gods will eventually lose interest in their son, there are still incredibly rich kings who will gladly offer a large portion of their wealth to have Prince Sirius with his legendary beauty at their side. Besides, King Orion and Queen Walburga have a second son for their succession, so that they’re free to exploit Sirius for his beauty.

Every time Remus visited the city, Sirius made time to talk to him, and when Remus found out he was not only beautiful, but also clever and witty and good-hearted, he had completely fallen for the young prince. Completely fallen, while knowing it was completely hopeless.

Until just days after meeting the goddess Aphrodite, Remus heard a frantic knocking. He opened the door and did a double take. The young man’s hair was not neatly styled as usual, instead pulled up in a messy bun with strands falling over his eyes, and his fine clothes looked slightly dishevelled, but unmistakably, Prince Sirius was standing before him.

Before Remus could do more than gasp, Sirius spoke. “Remus, please forgive me my intrusion, but I cannot bear to deny my feelings any longer. I long to be with you! I do not want riches, or titles, or crowns, or even a life among the gods. I just want you! My heart has chosen you, and I refuse to listen to my fears instead of my heart any longer.”

Sirius let himself fall into Remus’ arms, and for a moment, Remus’ heart leapt with joy, but then it was like an ice-cold hand had closed its grip around it as Remus realised what had happened.

Aphrodite’s ‘gift’.

She had given Remus what he desired, but she had not realised Remus did not want to have what he desired if it had to be like this.

Remus told Sirius he was tired and needed to rest. He convinced him to get some sleep, and promised they’d have a conversation in the morning when his mind would be clear.

As soon as Sirius was asleep in Remus’ bed, Remus had rushed to the temple of Aphrodite.

Aphrodite purses her lips and crosses her arms beneath her breasts. “How do you mean ‘not like this’?”

“Not if he didn’t get to choose,” Remus explains pleadingly. “Not if he was used as a tool to do me a favour.”

Aphrodite elegantly arches an eyebrow. “I present you with the most handsome man in the world, a rich, young prince, yours for the taking, and you would refuse?”

Remus only nods.

“Why?”

“Because I love him,” Remus simply states. “I would never want to strip him of his free will, or place my happiness above his.”

Aphrodite stares at him for a moment, and Remus wonders if he has insulted her, if these are his last moments before she changes him into a tree or an insect, or simply burns him to ashes.

But then a small smile appears on the goddess’ face. “For so long, I’ve dealt with people confusing attraction, desire or advantages with love, and it’s a balm to my soul to see pure love, like their is between you and Sirius.”

“I... I don’t understand.”

“You have misunderstood the nature of my gift, my sweet Remus. Allow me to explain.” Aphrodite is smiling indulgently at him now. “You must know that King Orion and Queen Walburga were hoping their son’s beauty would bring them opportunity, and that him having eyes for a simple farm-boy was unacceptable to them. They had threatened that an ill fate would befall you if Sirius were to seek your affections. I have made it clear to them that an even more ill fate would befall them if you or your family would suffer any harm, and you know you must never underestimate just how... inventive us Olympians can be when we really want to punish mortals.”

Remus had not thought such a beautiful face could wear such a dark look, and he shudders, images of Prometheus chained while waiting for the eagles to come eat his liver, Tantalus desperately reaching for the fruits and the water just outside his reach, Sisyphus fruitlessly rolling his stone up to hill coming to mind.

“Also,” Aphrodite continues, her face back to its normal expression. “I made it clear to both Zeus and Apollo to let the boy be. They will listen, because they know better than to cross me.” A pleased little smile. “Those two won’t risk having to live the rest of their immortal lives without ever experiencing a mortal’s love.”

“That’s... wonderful,” Remus says, struggling to find words. “And I am much obliged to you for your kindness. But I still don’t understand. How come Sirius...”

“Regarding Prince Sirius,” Aphrodite says, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “My work there consisted of telling him he had nothing to fear from his family or scorned gods anymore. And that’s it.”

“But... But...”

Aphrodite now laughs out loud. “He loved you already, Remus. He was afraid that his parents with their greed or gods unable to handle rejection would harm you if he were to act on those feelings. The moment I made clear he needn’t worry about them anymore, he came to you.”

Remus lets out a breath. “I.. I can hardly believe it.” He laughs shakily, happiness starting to blossom in his chest. “Did you know from the start my feelings were reciprocated?”

“Is there anything concerning love that I do not know?” Then the goddess shrugs. “It may not have entirely been a coincidence I showed up in disguise on your doorstep. Perhaps I had seen the way you and Prince Sirius looked at each other, and I was looking for an excuse to meddle.”

“Thank you,” Remus manages to say. “Thank you, great goddess. I can never repay you for such a gift.”

Aphrodite looks at him with a twinkle in her eyes. “Just continue to prove to me pure love exists, so I can look upon you whenever I need that belief reinforced.”

When Remus returns home, Sirius is sitting on his doorstep with his knees tucked against his chest, worrying his lips between his teeth. The moment he sees Remus approach, he pushes up to his feet and brushes the dirt from his tunic. “I have completely misread the situation, haven’t I?”

“No, Sirius,” Remus says. “No, you haven’t.”

Sirius shakes his head. “I poured my heart out to you. You told me to go to sleep and disappeared.”

“By Zeus, Sirius, I didn’t mean it like that.”

Sirius gives him a sad smile. “It’s okay. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have assumed. I just thought... When you looked at me I thought I saw...”

“What you saw was there!” Remus exclaims. “Sirius, I will explain. Only some days ago, I somehow gained the favour of the goddess Aphrodite, and she promised me a reward of some sort. So when you showed up here, I thought she had looked into my heart and seen only you, and that the feelings of which you spoke weren’t your own, but a spell she had cast on you in order to please me. That you weren’t here of your own choosing.”

Sirius blinks at him, and then shakes his head, stepping forward and placing his hand gently on Remus’ cheek. Remus briefly wonders if he’s dreaming, but Sirius looks so beautiful, Remus wouldn’t have been able to dream up such a vision.

“Remus,” Sirius speaks. “Let me reassure you. I have loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you.”

[missmoonfrost]

Stairs - a wolfstar microfic

April 13 - Royal AU - 299 words

@wolfstarmicrofic

The tinkling laughter startled Prince Remus. Wasn’t the foreign Prince afraid he would be heard? They were not supposed to be out of their chambers this late.

“What do you mean, you don’t know any secret passageways? Haven’t you lived here your whole life? I just got here and I’ve already found some.”

Remus stared at fair skin and ebony waves. Sirius sure looked like a Prince. Maybe even more so than Remus himself could ever do. But from the day his family were taken in as war refugees from the neighbouring kingdom Remus had doubted if he really was one.

Whit their parents present he appeared impeccable. But when not he would act silly or blow kisses at Remus, who had no idea how to respond.

“Come on, I’ll show you one. These stairs lead to a tower perfect for looking at the stars.”

“Stairs…” Remus hesitated, “would… would you hold my hand?”

“Oh, you want to turn this into a romantic date, then?”

“N-no”, Remus' cheeks heated, “I just… I have never claimed stairs alone. There’s always a servant holding my hand so I don’t trip.”

“You’re joking?”

Remus shook his head.

“Look at me. You can walk up a few flights of stairs. I’ll be right beside you.”

Remus didn’t want to disappoint those stormy grey eyes that looked at him with so much confidence. He took one step and then another. He didn’t trip. Soon they reached the half-open platform Prince Sirius had mentioned.

The star-speckled sky really took Remus' breath away.

Looking into the eyes of the smiling boy beside him Remus began to wonder what other things he had never considered doable that in reality were. And if there was more to life than excelling in his studies and seeing his parents pleased.

[raiynnah]

Pirate Au Oneshot

Crown Prince

word count: 350

Regulus has known for his entire life that Sirius was the important brother—the heir apparent—and he’s accepted it. The problem is that Sirius hasn’t, rebelling against his birthright as if it isn’t the utmost privilege to be a future king, chasing after freedom that exists only in the stories he dwells in. 

Maybe, Regulus thinks as he stares into his father’s judging eyes, that should be past tense now.

Because Sirius had been the dreamer but Regulus the realist, so he knows his brother isn’t coming back, knows that he has lost his brother to fantasy and that Sirius had lost him to reality years before. Different worlds, the same life, the same parents—the same, the same, the same.

He looks at his father and sees his brother just like how his father sees Sirius’ eyes, nose, mouth on Regulus’ face; just colder, emptier, more willing to accept the poison and pretend it’s honey. The shadow of a crown weighs on his head now and it’s as heavy as the weight of loss, but he nods when his mother tells him he will be king now all the same.

“Your brother is dead,” says the queen who he once thought of as mother, tone clipped and uncaring. Regulus doesn’t even flinch. They don’t want the scared little boy who’s hunched over as if in physical pain, sobbing, hidden away somewhere where even Regulus will not find him.

He doesn’t know if it’s true, having seen Sirius’ behaviour that night—frantic as a caged bird stolen from its wild home, desperate to flee. Sirius can’t die, he tells himself, and sings the tune his parents want like a songbird damned and domesticated.

I’m the important one now, and it almost feels like victory. I will achieve what he couldn’t.

So he goes to meet that man who now has the king and queen at his side, back straight and chin tilted up like the crown prince he is, and he tries not to pay attention to the ghosts whistling warnings in his mind.

Sirius may not be dead, but Regulus’ brother is.

[burningaurora]

[Podfic - TTS] A Prince's Promise by @engie-ivy

One-Shot | Length: 31:28 | Rating: G

When he was just a child, Prince Sirius was made to vow that he would never fall in love with someone of impure blood. Little did he know at that age that love isn't always a choice, that love is something that can just happen to you.And when it does happen to Sirius, the consequences of breaking that vow are grave.

Listen on: AO3 | Streaming

[lynxindisguise]

the gang is all here

[mentallyadinonugget]

[hellcatinnc]

This is my newest video got a bit behind but hope you enjoy. Heads up to anyone wanting to see this its not a anime its a hentai so search it in its japanese name in google. hope this helps.

Anime: Game World Reincarnation (Ouji No Honmei Wa Akuyaku Reijou)

[partridge-in-a-pear-tree]

He isn’t used to this. 

Most knights — if they have the gall (or status) to do so — approaches the princesses for their favour: beside him, Andromeda is already bestowing roses onto knights in shining, polished-until-reflective armour, Narcissa sniffs as she deigns to drop a flower onto the hands of one smarmy Lucius Malfoy, and Bellatrix glares at anyone who attempts to approach her, her kohl-lined eyes daring prospective suitors to just try her. 

A normal sight in a joust. Or it would be, if not for the tall knight in dull silvery armour kneeling in front of Prince Sirius Black’s chair, asking for a rose of good luck. 

His thoughts go faint. He’s simultaneously aware of everything and aware of nothing. Walburga and Orion’s faces burn with scandal. Regulus whispers an “oh my god”. The princesses, and the surrounding lords, beacons of colourful wealth amidst the silk-bannered good-natured cheer that festooned the arena, turn to stare. He senses doubt, incredulity, scandal, at the knight’s temerity, to seek a rose of good favour in unpolished, ragged armour, not revealing his face, not to a princess, but to a prince. A man. Heir to the throne. 

Temerity indeed. 

And yet the world mutes to a quiet, unremarkable buzz. The knight in front of him feels so very solid. So real. Through the gaps of his armour, chocolate eyes stare back at him, pools of rich brown (he picks out gold flecks in them like shimmery pepper) with intent written across every inch of the face he glimpses bits of through the face-mask. These eyes are staring at him, only. 

“Give me your favour, my prince,” the knight repeats patiently, gazing intently into his eyes. Brown on pale blue. Oh yes. Temerity. 

“Are you serious,” he mumbles faintly, letting the sentence trail off without a note of questioning. 

Now the knight’s eyes sparkle with mirth; the intent wavers to allow laughter in. Sirius’ breath catches. “No,” he says. “You are.” 

A joke on his name. Sirius allows the proud, haughty rule of his mouth to melt into a faint grin. Temerity indeed. Charming in a way it shouldn’t be. Nearby Regulus mutters something that sounds suspiciously like “Jesus Christ”. 

Sirius decides this knight is fascinating. Slowly, staring straight into purposeful brown eyes, he untangles the tight seams holding his mouth into his usual hauteur, letting it loosen into a warm smile. He plucks a rose from Andromeda’s bouquet (he sees her smile) and slowly, very gently, ghosts his lips over the petals. A kiss of good luck. Prince Sirius’ favour. The corners of the knight’s eyes crinkle in endearment(?) and warm mirth. He presses the rose into the knight’s outstretched palms and truly allows his smile to grow wide. 

“Good luck,” he murmurs. 

“Thank you, my prince,” the knight answers in kind. 

His mind is hazy. The world is quiet, like the knight has draped a veil over the noise and chatter. “Wait,” he says, feeling slightly foolish. (The thought shocks him. Sirius Black, feeling foolish? The world has indeed gone to shreds. The temerity of this knight to have caused this. Goodness.) “What’s your name?” 

The knight’s eyes no longer crinkle in mirth — it’s more direct. Sultry. Sly, perhaps. “If I win,” he says, “you get to find out.” 

Sirius stares at him, stunned. 

The knight whisks back into the jostling crowd of competitors, framed in a whirl of colour and noise. 

The quiet shatters and his world descends into chaos. 

“That disgraceful knight—”

“His temerity—”

“Approaching a prince!” 

“Is he a homosexual?” 

“How dare he—”

“What were you thinking, honestly, giving him your favour—”

“And kissing the rose too?!” 

“My goodness, Sirius—”

Regulus stares at him, green-grey eyes shining with something only siblings truly ever understand. A silent question. Are you sure you want to risk your heart for that guy? 

He stares back. Thinking about that guy makes his heart buzz, and the world mute. His lips curve merrily, jauntily, but his eyes are just as intent as the knight’s. Yes, he answers silently. Yes. 

~~~

As it happens, the knight wins. 

Sirius lets out a breathless laugh as his family shakes their heads in disbelief. He knows how crazy it must look; an unnamed, unknown knight in hardly shining armour defeats the greatest warriors of the country? Novel. What temerity. He isn’t surprised, though. The purposeful gaze of the knight was one of utter intent and victory. 

The knight raises a fist in victory, and tilts his head just so to meet Sirius’ eyes. He takes off his helmet. 

Sirius’ breath catches for the hundredth time today. 

Absolutely enchanting chestnut curls, tumbling gently to the neck and cheekbones, draping around those gold-flecked chocolate eyes. They look soft to touch, like velvet. Rich coffee skin, blanketing sharp cheekbones, a strong, square jaw, a straight and defiant nose. Scars that make him look devilishly charming streak across his nose bridge, his chin, his left cheek. Lips that look so pink, so full, wavering slightly with each puff of breath he takes. 

Those lips smirk. 

The knight — the very handsome knight that’s causing his heartbeats to hummingbird in Sirius’ chest — strides towards him, his good luck rose in hand. He stops directly in front of him, brings the red rose to those enrapturing lips, and delivers a kiss to the petals, directly above where Sirius kissed. 

(He hears Walburga sniff in disdain and cannot find it within himself to care.) 

The knight looks back down on him, eyes sparkling with not only mirth, with joy and with promise. “Thank you for your favour, my prince,” he says, and without the mask of armour his voice is deep, rich, edged with an absolutely sexy gravel, reminiscent of hot chocolate drunk on a cold rainy day. Sirius is entranced, and he feels his cheeks pinken. “My name is Remus Lupin.”  

Fantasy AU where prince Sirius and his family attend a joust and a knight comes out in dull grey armour and people have no idea who he is but he goes straight to Sirius to hand him a rose for his luck in the tournament and when the knight wins he takes off his helmet to bow to the prince and it’s Remus

[moonyswarmsweaters]

Regulus Black’s biography

[engie-ivy]

(This fic was inspired by @wolfstarmicrofic's Once Upon a Fairytale-theme, but at 5240 words it became far from a microfic😅 (so no need to reblog it!)

I'm actually really happy with how this fic turned out! It contains all those things that I love; Hurt Sirius and Protective and Worried James and Remus, plus a happy (fairytale) ending.

There's implied child abuse and an almost character death, but I promise, happy ending!)

When he was just a child, Prince Sirius was made to vow that he would never fall in love with someone of impure blood. Little did he know at that age that love isn't always a choice, that love is something that can just happen to you.

And when it does happen to Sirius, the consequences of breaking that vow are grave.

A Prince's Promise

(A Wolfstar fairytale)

Once upon a time, there was a young prince.

Now, this young prince didn’t fancy being a prince very much. His days were filled with stuffy parties, strict protocols, and tedious teachers lecturing him about boring matters.

Most lectures were about the prestige of his family, and why it were they that were meant to rule.

“You see, Sirius, our family has always done the most to keep our bloodline pure, and this has given us a very direct line to the Ancient Ones, our ancestors who were able to utilize magical powers. Therefore, we are one of the few families who still have traces of that old magic flowing through their veins. Our family still possesses ancient artefacts forged by the Ancient Ones that can still access and make use of this inherent magic, so that only one of the purest Black Blood can use them.”

Six-year-old Prince Sirius nods obediently, even though he does not quite understand everything his father is saying. Usually, when King Orion summons him to his study, it is to scold and punish him, so merely receiving another lecture on blood purity is a relief.

“So, you see, my son,” King Orion continues. “It is of the utmost importance we keep our bloodline pure.”

Sirius nods again, though his mind has already drifted off to dinner, and whether there will be rice pudding pie as dessert.

“And do you know how to do that, Sirius?”

Sirius gives a start at being asked a direct question. Usually, he can get away with just looking solemn and nodding at the right moment during these lectures. “I… No, father. I do not.”

Sirius, assuming this will lead to the feared punishment after all, and flinches when his father leans forward, but King Orion just smiles, a very rare sight.

“It is alright, my son. You are very young, so it is only natural you do not know of these things, but therefore, you must pay close attention now. You see, what you must do, is make a vow that you will never fall in love with someone of impure blood.” King Orion looks at Sirius intently. “Can you do that, son?”

Now, at only six years old, Sirius doesn’t understand the difference between those with pure blood and those with impure blood, not really. He knows that ‘pureblood’ is used to refer to the ones wearing stuffy clothes at stuffy formal gatherings, who must wear a bored, haughty expression whenever they are in public, and look down their noses at everyone. The ones like himself, his little brother and their cousins. He knows that ‘impure’ is used to refer to the children in the kitchens and in the stables, who run around, laugh and cause mischief.

For that matter, Sirius also does not understand what falling in love means. Only having the king and queen as example, all he knows is that it means you move into a castle with someone and attend draining social events together while barely sparing each other a glance. The children of impure blood are so lucky and have such exciting lives! Chasing each other, playing with the animals on the farms, climbing trees in the forest. Why on earth would Sirius ever force them into the same controlled, suffocating live as he is living by being so cruel as to fall in love with them?

At only six years old, Sirius has no idea that love isn’t always a choice you make, but something that can happen to you whether you want it or not.

“Yes, father,” Sirius says. “I vow that I won’t.”

“Good.” There is something sinister in King Orion’s voice that makes Sirius involuntarily shiver. King Orion takes off one of his velvet gloves and wraps his hand around some sort of rod. Sirius would swear that for a second, he sees a strange sort of glow around the rod the moment his father’s skin touches the strange material. King Orion holds the rod out to Sirius. “This is an Oath Rod,” he says. “Any vow spoken by one who has the magic of the Ancient Ones coursing through their veins while holding the Oath Rod, will be an Unbreakable Vow. I need you to make your vow on the Oath Rod.”

Sirius hesitates, an undefinable feeling of wrongness coming over him. “I… I don’t know…”

King Orion tilts his head and there’s a hint of something dangerous in his voice as he speaks. “My boy. You were not planning on breaking your vow, the vow of a prince, now were you?”

Sirius quickly shakes his head, and his father smiles.

“Well then, no need to worry about making it an Unbreakable Vow then, is there?”

Sirius bites his lip, and then slowly shakes his head again.

“Go on then.”

Sirius knows it feels wrong, but he doesn’t know why. He doesn’t know what consequences placing such a weighty oath on the shoulders of someone so young can have, but he does know that he’s hungry, and he doesn’t want to be send to his chambers on an empty stomach, and he does know how inexorable his father’s fists can be.

Hesitantly, Sirius reaches out and places his hand on the rod. The strange glow appears and immediately disappears again, and this time, it is paired with a strange warmth connecting Sirius’ hand to the rod, and somehow to his father’s hand.

King Orion looks at him patiently, but Sirius has known his father long enough to see that that patience is a veil wearing very thin.

“I vow that I will never fall in love with someone of impure blood.” Sirius’ voice is shaky and unsure, but the effect is immediate. A tingling feeling creeps into the hand holding the rod, seeps into his veins, courses through his blood, ones, twice, three times, encompassing him, taking over every part of his being, leaving him breathless, and then… it’s gone.

Sirius is gasping for air, trying to catch his breath, as King Orion puts his glove back on and places the now so plain seeming rod back into his drawer.

“Very well. Now, let us go to the dining room.” He speaks as if nothing happened.

As if Prince Sirius did not just seal his own fate.

As Prince Sirius grows older, the memory of his vow grows more and more distant. The whole kingdom agrees that the young prince gets more handsome every day, and has turned into a clever and brave young man. King Orion and Queen Walburga, however, mostly see that he gets more stubborn every day, and more inclined to question their rule.

And it is true.

The better Sirius’ understanding of the world becomes, the clearer he can see the injustice in the way his parents treat their people. How all opportunities are given to the high society, the pureblood class, how the lower classes do not have access to proper education or qualify for high-ranking jobs, and how the poor stay poor while the rich get richer.

He clashes with King Orion more and more often, and instead of fear, his father’s violence and threats only install a sort of fierce determination in him.

The situation between Sirius and his family is quickly becoming unmaintainable.

That is the only reason why Queen Walburga takes Lady Euphemia’s offer into any real consideration.

In het letter to the royal family, Lady Euphemia offers for Prince Sirius comes to stay at the Potter estate for a while. According to her, based on their few brief meetings at social functions, the young prince and Lord Fleamont and Lady Euphemia’s only son and heir James Potter seemed to get along well, and it might be beneficial to both boys’ development to spend time with a peer.

Now, Queen Walburga isn’t fond of the Potter family. They have acquired most of their fortune through trade, instead of it being passed from generation to generation, and they are a type of new money who do not always adhere to the traditions the Blacks value so much.

But the Potters do have a talent for making themselves renown and influential. They gather the best intellectuals, philosophers, artists, writers and swordsmen around them, and noble families from all over the realm are keen to send their sons to the Potter estate for some period of time, so that they can receive lessons in politics, strategic warfare, literature, poetry, ballet, archery, swordsmanship, and what else a boy must learn to become a proper young nobleman.

It would not seem suspicious for King Orion and Queen Walburga to send their son away from court to spend some time furthering his education at the Potter estate, and the fact that no one would question it, is perhaps the most important factor weighing on favour of the idea. If talk starts to spread around court, talk that there is a rift between Prince Sirius and King Orion, overly ambitious lords awaiting their chance could see the defiant young prince as the perfect opportunity. A handsome, charismatic, young prince with a direct and strong claim to the throne, whom they can convince people to rally behind and, not knowing how strong-willed their prince is, whom they think they can use as their pawn to overthrow the king.

No, it is much better if the tensions between Prince Sirius and King Orion are kept quiet, and sending Sirius to a far-away estate seems like the best option, especially when a young man going to the Potter estate for educational purpose will not raise any suspicions.

That’s how, at sixteen years old, Prince Sirius goes to live at the Potter estate.

He’s nervous, because yes, during the brief conversations he has had with James Potter, they seemed to connect, but briefly running into each other at one of the events they were forced to attend is quite different than actually living together.

As Sirius steps out of his carriage, though, James walks up to him with a huge grin on his face and wraps Sirius in a firm hug, and somehow, despite being so unfamiliar with the feeling of being hugged, Sirius’ nerves dissipate. From that moment on, it’s like James and he have known each other their whole lives, and they instantly become brothers.

That day is also the day Sirius meets Remus Lupin.

Sirius had not, could never have, expected Remus Lupin. He did not know someone like Remus Lupin could even exist. Remus Lupin’s mother is the head of the household for Lady Euphemia, and his father works in the Potters’ stables, so Remus grew up in and around the Potter estate. He has known James his whole life, and they also share a brotherly bond, something that would’ve been impossible at the castle Sirius grew up in, due to their difference in class and status. Since James sees them as his two brothers, perhaps it would’ve made sense for Sirius and Remus to see each other as brothers as well, but as their eyes meet for the first time, right from the very start, for some reason, it never feels like that.

Not that Sirius doesn’t like Remus. On the contrary, he thinks Remus is incredible.

Remus is kind and clever, and he has this calming presence that makes everyone feel at ease around him. Remus knows everything about everyone, and he can get anything done. A feat he and James have often used for mischief making. Because you might not suspect it when you first see him, but Remus has a mischievous, adventurous side to him, and a wicked sense of humour.

Sirius is mesmerized by this unlikely combination. Especially with the way Remus approaches him, an open curiosity and an inquiring gaze, so different from the people living in and around King Orion’s castle, who lower their eyes and duck their heads as soon as Sirius approaches. Especially considering the circles Sirius usually moves in, Remus is so unlike anyone he has ever met.

They hang out with the three of them together a lot, they pull pranks and get up to some mischief. When they get caught once for having switched all spices in the kitchen, so that the pie tastes salty, the potatoes taste sweet, the soup tastes like cinnamon and the puff pastry rolls taste like pepper, Sirius braces himself for shouting, a switching and a day locked in his chamber without food, but Lady Euphemia just ruffles their hair as she smiles indulgently.

“My bunch of marauders. Always up to no good, aren’t you?” She says fondly, before continuing on her way to the gardens.

James laughs, which turns to surprise seeing how tense Sirius has gotten. That’s when Sirius fully realises that he’s safe here, he only has to be himself here, and the tension slides off of him. He’s home here.

James has to spend more and more time with his father, learning all the tasks that come with being Lord Potter and running the Potter estate. Plus, he’s getting more and more preoccupied with the youngest daughter of a respected pharmacist in town, a beautiful red-headed girl, much to the delight of his parents, who call the girl a fine young lady and an excellent match, which is much to Sirius’ shock, as the girl isn’t even upper class. Growing up, Sirius could never understand why someone’s descant matters so much, and now he knows why he couldn’t: because it doesn’t. And why should it? The girl, who simply goes by Lily, has a sharp mind and a fierce character, and Sirius likes her.

With James being increasingly busy, Sirius and Remus end up spending a lot of time together.

Remus shows Sirius around in the stables, where Sirius, without anyone sneering at him to stay away from those filthy animals, finally gets to drop down on his knees and give ear scratches, pets and hugs to the happy, tail-wagging dogs running up to him and jumping up against him.

It is quite possibly the best moment of his life.

When he looks up and sees Remus looking at him with a strange look on his face that Sirius can’t quite decipher, their eyes meet, and Remus gives him a small smile that Sirius returns, the moment only gets better.

Remus takes him out riding to show him the surroundings. Not like Sirius is used to: ‘and this is the estate of Lord So-And-So, who married Lady This-And-That, the widow of That Other Lord, who left her this amount of money after his passing, and now with Lord So-And-So, her estimated fortune is this much’. No, Remus takes him over well hidden trials through the woods, and shows him the trees he used to climb as a kid, the creek his father takes him fishing, the clearing where, early in the morning, you might see a group of wild hogs, and the hilltop from where you have the best view of the sunset. Sirius enjoys every minute of it.

During that first, blissful time of living with at the Potter Estate, everything is perfect.

Until Sirius starts getting ill.

The first time it happens is actually after a day of riding with Remus. They had made their horses gallop over the hilltops, stopped at a meadow full of flowers for a picnic, and had returned to the estate, tired, but content.

Sirius is trying to unsaddle his horse and remove his bridle, but he’s not making much progress, as the horse keeps pushing his nose against Sirius’ face, and Remus comes to help him.

Sirius chuckles as the hoarse nuzzles his cheek. “He has taken quite a liking to me.”

He reaches for the strap of the bridle, but as the horse is blocking his view, he accidentally places his hand on top of Remus’. As their hands touch, they look up, and their eyes meet. The air around them feels charged for a reason Sirius cannot define, and he feels his breath catch.

After a moment, Remus smiles. “He’s not the only one,” he says softly.

Sirius feels a tug at his heart, and something shift inside him, before slotting into place.

As he opens his mouth to speak, however, a wave of nausea rushes over him and he doubles over in pain, pressing his hands to his stomach.

“Sirius?” Remus asks worriedly as he rushes over to him. “Are you okay?”

Sirius stands up and gives him a weak smile. “I’m okay. Just... feeling a bit off. I should return to my chambers and retire early tonight.”

“Go ahead then,” Remus says. “I will finish taking care of the horse.”

Sirius gives him a grateful smile and turns to walk away.

“Sirius?”

He stops and looks back at Remus.

“I had a really good time today,” Remus says, sounding a bit uncertain for the first time since Sirius has known him.

Sirius smiles. “Yeah, me too.”

He has to quickly turn around and walk away before he gets sick in front of Remus, as another wave of nausea hits him.

The next morning, Sirius walks into the dining hall for breakfast, trying to go about his day, even though he’s still not feeling great.

However, Lady Euphemia takes one look at him, pale damp skin, but with glowing cheeks, and sends him back to his chambers. “Rest, darling. If you sleep it off now, you’ll be fit as a fiddle again tomorrow!”

He isn’t.

The next morning, Sirius only feels worse. His skin is damp and sweaty, his muscle ache, and he’s taking heavy breaths. The Potters’ personal physician checks up on him, and concludes it’s a serious fever, possibly the flu, but that a young and strong man such as the prince will sweat it out and sleep it off, and he will already feel much better in just a matter of days.

He doesn’t.

His condition only deteriorates. Often, he’s in a feverish, barely lucid state, he can hardly hold food down, his whole body hurts, and he just lies in bed taking raspy breaths until he falls asleep from exhaustion.

The Potters send for doctors, healers, nurses, medicine women and men, anyone who might be able to help. They try different herbs and powders, unfamiliar foods, ice baths, steam baths, but nothing works and no one can figure out why.

The Potters have no choice but to send a courier to carry a letter with great urgency to King Orion and Queen Walburga, informing them of their son’s worrisome condition. They respond with the heartfelt reply that since Prince Sirius has fallen ill while being in their care, they’ll have to cover the medical costs.

Meanwhile, James and Remus hardly leave Sirius’ side. James will pace the room and tell Sirius a million stories to distract him from the pain and discomfort. Remus will just sit by his bed and hold his hand, or read to him from his favourite books.

It’s a nurse from a local school, Poppy Pomfrey, called upon by the Potters in another desperate attempt, who is the first who finally dares to say it out loud: “That boy is dying.”

While the distraught Lord Fleamont and Lady Euphemia start to realize there’s nothing they can do for the boy but wait for the end, James and Remus simply refuse to accept it. “The dogs are really missing you, we should take them for a long walk once you’re better!” “There’s this great bookstore in town, I’ll take you there once you’re feeling well again.” “The cook baked this amazing cake, as soon as you’re recovered, you should ask her to make it again.” “I’ve got some amazing ideas for pranks for once you’re all better again.”

When Sirius is having a more lucid moment, he looks over at Remus sitting by his bedside, listens to the soothing sound of his voice as he reads to him, and takes in the soft golden of his eyes illuminated by the sunlight streaming through the window. ‘At least I got to have this,’ he thinks to himself. ‘If this is going to be the end, at least I got to have this. At least, in James, I found family. At least, in Remus, I found…’

It suddenly hits him. A realisation that makes all puzzle pieces fall into place, and it all comes rushing back to him. His father’s study, a young, scared boy who had no idea what was being asked of him, a strange rod and a magic settling into his veins.

James comes in a moment later, and to give him some time with Sirius, Remus goes to help his mum in the kitchens.

“James,” Sirius says, forcing put the words as soon as Remus is gone. “I have fallen in love with Remus.”

James just gives him a sad smile. “To be honest, Siri, I figured as much. But we’ll deal with that later, yeah? Right now, you need to just focus on getting better.”

“No, Jamie, you don’t understand…”

And so Sirius tells James the whole story.

By the end of it, James is pinching the bridge of his nose. “That has got to be the stupidest thing you’ve ever done.”

“I was six years old!” Sirius defends himself. “I had no idea what I was even doing. I didn’t know that love isn’t necessarily a choice,” Sirius needs to pause for a moment to take a breath. “I didn’t know that love is something that can suddenly wash over you when you look into someone’s eyes…”

“Well, now we know the reason for your illness,” James says. “You broke an Unbreakable Vow.”

“Doesn’t make sense,” Sirius replies. “Unbreakable, but I’ve clearly broken it! Sure, I’ll die for it, but if it was truly Unbreakable, you’d think it would have been actually physically impossible for me to fall in love with Remus in the first place. It’s called an Unbreakable Vow, not a Break-And-Die Vow, innit?”

“Really?” James asks, placing his hands on his hips. “That’s what you’re worried about right now? The semantics of the term?”

Sirius shakes his head, as he feels a new wave of exhaustion wash over him. “It also means there is no cure, doesn’t it?” He closes his eyes as he speaks. “You break an Unbreakable Vow, and then that’s it.”

He doesn’t hear James’ reply, as he has already drifted off to sleep.

“Okay,” Remus says, pacing James’ room. “Okay. So we have a cause, now we can find a solution. We must ask King Orion to release him from his vow! Surely, he just wanted to scare his son, not actually let him die. I’m sure that if we ask him-”

“That won’t work,” James interrupts. “You can’t be released from an Unbreakable Vow. It’s impossible.”

“Well, that doesn’t make sense,” Remus says. “Unbreakable, sure, but if someone releases you from a vow, you haven’t broken it, have you? It’s called an Unbreakable Vow, not an Unreleasable Vow, innit?”

“Well, I didn’t come up with the term!” James exclaims, before muttering under his breath “Again with the semantics.” He shakes his head. “Remus,” he continues. “To be honest, I don’t think it would’ve mattered even if King Orion could release Sirius from the vow.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that King Orion must’ve known he couldn’t be certain a six-year-old boy could keep an oath like that for the rest of his life, and he must’ve known what he was doing.” A dark look passes over James’ face. “He made a conscious consideration and decided that he rather sees his son dead than see him ‘defile’ the blood line.”

“Okay, well, then that’s not an option. But… But we can still…” Still pacing the room, Remus frantically tries to think of something, anything, else. “We can still try to get our hands on that Oath Rod! We can steal it. Maybe we can make it work, despite not having the proper bloodline. We can let Sirius swear a different oath, to overwrite the first one. Maybe an oath that goes directly against the first one! Or maybe we can figure out how to reverse the magic of the first oath, and undo it. Or what if-”

“Remus!”

Remus finally stops his pacing and turns to look at James.

James runs a hand through his hair. “I just told you he’s in love with you! Don’t you… don’t you feel anything about that?”

“I don’t know what you want me to say, James.” Remus gives James a tortured look. “That I’m happy about it? Happy to have been given something like that, only to have it immediately ripped away? Or do you want me to admit that I’ve so selfishly been wishing for it, that it was my heart’s greatest desire, and now it is going to cost him his life?” Remus shakes his head. “I don’t care how he feels about me, James. I don’t care if he loves me or hates me, or feels nothing towards me at all,I just need him to be okay.”

“I understand,” James says softly. “And we won’t give up on him, Remus. We won’t.”

“I’m a coward,” Remus says. “I like to pretend it’s all so unfair, how people like you and James get opportunities that I will never get, how hard my life is just because I was born lower class, but the truth is, I wouldn’t trade if I could. I’m simply too much of a coward to take on the responsibilities that you have to take on. I like sticking to my simple chores, I like avoiding ever having to take any responsibility, and I like feeling sorry for myself and wallowing in self-pity. I always choose the easy way out, and then I pretend it’s all so unjust that I don’t get further in life. I hide behind my background and my insecurities, and I don’t owe up to that fact that I’m simply too scared to take a risk. Taking a risk means you can fail, and I don’t want to fail others. Not because I care so much about others, but because I’m self-centred and care so much about what others think of me. I once stole a honey cake from the kitchens, and the cook blamed the new kitchen boy. I didn’t want her to be disappointed in me, so I didn’t confess and let him get punished for what I did.” Remus bites his lip as he remembers that moment. “I put my own need for validation first, regardless of the consequences for anyone else. And the worst is, if I could do it again, I don’t think I would do anything differently.”

“You look so cute when you bite your lip like that,” Sirius responds.

Remys drops his head on Sirius’ matrass and groans loudly. “Sirius! Focus! We’re trying to make you fall out of love with me! Really, it shouldn’t be so hard.”

“It’s not hard,” Sirius says. “It’s impossible. Remus, my heart is set on you, and nothing can deviate it from its course.”

Remus lifts his head, and feels tears well up in his eyes. “What do you expect me to do then? Just sit here and watch you die? I’m not worth all of that, Sirius. I’m not.”

“Listing all your flaws won’t help,” Sirius replies. “I’m not in love with you despite all of that, I’m in love with you with all of that. I’m in love with you for your strengths and I’m in love with you for your weaknesses.”

Remus shakes his head and hides his face in his hands. “There must be something I can do!”

Sirius reaches out, pulls one of Remus’ hands away from his face and takes it in his.

As Remus looks at him, he sees there are tears in Sirius’ eyes as well.

“Don’t leave me alone.” Sirius’ voice sounds small and scared as he squeezes Remus’ hand. “Be by my side? If I have to die for this love, then please, let me revel in it for just these final moments.”

Remus squeezes his hand back. “I’ll be here. I promise. I’ll be here.”

“I love you,” Sirius says hoarsely, having to gather his strength to form the words.

Sirius and Remus are alone, with Remus sitting by Sirius’ bedside, a place he now hardly ever leaves, while James is in the Potters’ library, frantically searching for a way, any way, to get out of an Unbreakable Vow.

They all know time is quickly running out, though.

Remus closes his eyes. He feels conflicted. On the one hand, he feels like he could live his whole life on just the memory of Sirius saying those words to him. On the other hand, it already hurts so much to lose Sirius as his dear friend and companion, he doesn’t want the reminder that it could’ve been so much more.

“It’s not fair,” Remus says as he opens his eyes again. “How can our story end before it has even begun? It wasn’t supposed to be like this! I wasn’t supposed to lose you, I can’t lose you. You were supposed to have been my happy ending.”

“Kiss me,” Sirius whispers. “Please… I don’t want to die without knowing… Without knowing what it’s like.”

It’ll destroy him, but how can Remus refuse?

So he reaches out and carefully brushes a strand of hair away from Sirius’ eyes, before gently cupping his face in his hands and softly pressing their lips together.

“I should’ve known.” James pinches the bridge of his nose. “I should have bloody known.”

Sirius grins at him. “In hindsight, it’s kind of obvious, isn’t it?” He’s sitting upright in bed, popped up against a pillow, eating a bowl of soup. Remus is sitting next to him on the edge of the bed, one arm wrapped protectively around Sirius’ waist for support. Sirius is still weak and tires quickly after being on the verge of death, but he’s gaining a little strength every day.

James rubs his eyes, still not quite sharp after all those sleepless nights spent frantically searching for a way out of the Unbreakable Vow. “Of course it was True Love’s First Kiss,” he mutters. “It’s always bloody True Love’s First Kiss!”

“So I’m not going to die, and Remus is my confirmed true love!” Sirius beams. “Couldn’t have gone better, don’t you think?”

Remus rolls his eyes. “Well, personally, I could’ve done without the whole sitting-by-your-death-bed situation.” Then he gazes at Sirius fondly. “But I guess I can’t complain about the end result.” He presses a brief kiss against Sirius’ lips.

As Sirius immediately leans in for another kiss, Remus smiles against his lips. “Sirius, you need to eat.”

Sirius hums. “I might still be feeling a bit nauseated. Better give me True Love’s Twelfth Kiss, just to be sure.”

James snorts. “More like True Love’s One Hundred and Fifth Kiss at this point.”

Sirius chuckles. “Well, Jamie, better safe than sorry!”

That’s how Prince Sirius learned something that the Ancient Ones had known, but his family had failed to pass on from generation to generation:

No matter how binding or dark the curse, no magic is more powerful than that of love.

And while they still have many challenges to face, with that power on their side, Sirius and Remus know they are going to live happily ever after.

The End.

(For Remus, it was the moment when he saw Sirius play with the dogs. For Sirius, it was the moment when their hands touched and eyes met while unsaddling the horse)

[tricksterringmaster]

AU where my version of the Prince family lives, and Tobias isn't a jerk but is still hot-headed. After the prank families' meeting: Orion: Almost losing a half-blood isn't such big of a deal to- Tobias, pulling out a gun: Let's check if losing a pureblood's head is such a big deal.

closups:

[raiynnah]

Pirate AU Oneshot

A Mother's Poison

word count: 262

Queen Walburga is proud of her position in life and has never doubted for even a second whether she deserves it. Now though, she wonders what she has done to deserve this.

“But why?” asks the whining voice of her oldest child again, hair mussed and eyes wild. Perhaps he’s a changeling, an imposter who replaced my son the day he was born. But no, Sirius may not act like a prince but he’s definitely a Black, willing to shine bright and live life as if it’s a constant explosion.

“Because I said so,” she replies impatiently. Perhaps his carers are at fault, having somehow poisoned his mind like this. Or that wretched girl Andromeda who runs on too loose a leash.

Her son crosses his arms and huffs.

“I don’t like it.” No, of course you don’t. At some point he had been eager to please, following her every rule, hanging on every word—the way Regulus is now—but slowly, without warning, that had changed.

“A prince has no need of ‘liking’, only of ‘doing’.”

“Well, maybe I don’t want to be a prince!” Her eye twitches but he must not notice because he continues. “I don’t want to be anything you want me to be.”

“You’d rather be a peasant, begging for scraps and sleeping in the dirt?” she hisses, “Or a pirate, like you pretend you can be.” Laughing derisively, she tells him “If you can’t be the prince you were born to be, then you can’t be anything!”

She hopes Regulus doesn’t grow up to be such a disappointment.

[readwithlivvy]

i'm sorry snape lovers but this is what canonical snape is

[polnapietruszka]

[moonstruckme]

hi i have a request that you're obviously under no obligation to answer but i saw that you did a royal au for sirius and i was wondering if you'd be open to doing another?

something like they're in a secret relationship and they're at the same ball and trying to act like they're the picture of good behavior but sirius is being subtly flirty and a menace?

Thanks for requesting sweetheart! Slight deviation, they're not together but this takes place just a bit after the first one <3

prince!Sirius x princess!reader ♡ 2.2k words

Seeing as balls are generally marketed as the pinnacle of refinement, you hadn’t expected this to be so loud. 

Every time the hum of conversation rises, someone keeps telling the musicians to play louder too, until people have to raise their voices and it starts over again. A victor-less battle. You have an inkling that it might all be easier to handle if you had just a bit more wine, but you’re on your best behavior for your new family.

You try not to wrinkle your brow, leaning closer to the man in front of you as the violins crescendo. “Sorry?” you ask, politely as you can. 

A flicker of irritation crosses his face. You try not to wince. He tells you the title of his job again. 

“Ah.” You nod, trying to look as though you understand the importance of this jumble of fancy-sounding words. “That’s so interesting. What does that entail?” 

He’s thrilled you’ve asked. As the man launches into a thorough description of his day-to-day duties for the kingdom, you contemplate how surprisingly relevant a competence in lip-reading might be to your new role as princess. Is this something you’re going to have to do all of the time? You haven’t been able to make out half of what this man has said since he made his way over to you. 

It’s pointless anyway. As soon as you notice Sirius Black standing behind him, you’re gone. 

It’s been hardly a week since your illicit meeting with the Black heir. You’d munched on chicken nuggets, traded complaints about palace life and your wildly different upbringings. When a guard had come to fetch him back to his parents you’d hid behind the door, and to the best of your knowledge you’ve both pretended the meeting never happened ever since. 

Now, he’s dark and gleaming under the light from the chandelier. He smiles dashingly at someone shaking his father’s hand, standing beside both of his parents and slightly in front of another boy you suppose must be his brother. You haven’t actually seen anyone in his family before now, but the connection isn’t difficult to draw; they’re eerily similar. Pitch black hair and pale skin stretched tight over delicate bones. Most horrifying of all, they’re wearing identical shades of black, the homogeneity of the men’s suits too precise to be incidental, except…

Sirius’ suit jacket shimmers with a silver sheen in certain lights. 

Your lips curve before you can stop them. You hardly know him, but already this seems typical; he has to be different. Has to set himself apart. It’s less tiresome than it ought to be. 

As though your thoughts have been broadcast across the room, Sirius’ head turns minutely in your direction. His eyes catch you and hold you.

It’s lucky the man standing in front of you doesn’t seem to notice how your gaze has wandered. He chatters on, unaware that your palms have slickened or that your heart has started pittering fiercely inside your chest. Sirius says something to his companions and peels off. He starts towards you. 

You look back to your conversation partner, managing a nod of faux comprehension just before he reaches you. 

You let your eyes flare as he stops beside the two of you, willing some surprise into your expression, but your voice comes out even more startled than you intend when you hiccup out, “Your highness.” 

“Your highness,” Sirius says back, the faintest of smirks curving his lips as he inclines his head to you, then the man in front of you. “Lord Chamberlain.” 

Shit. How does he know this guy’s name and you don’t? 

Lord Chamberlain looks nearly as caught offguard by the prince’s notice as you are. “Your highness.” He puffs up. “I didn’t realize we would be enjoying your presence this evening.” 

“Yes, my brother was supposed to be the only one accompanying my parents on this visit.” Sirius sounds even more polished than the last time you spoke with him. There’s an easy grace to his posture, an inherent knowledge of the tiny moves that allow one to conform to the etiquette of this culture which you’re still struggling to grasp yourself. But his eyes flash when they meet yours, a glimpse of that waggish boy you met in the sitting room. “However, during my last visit I found an interest in your lovely kingdom I’ve not had before.” 

Lord Chamberlain begins to prattle on about the perfect astuteness of the prince, the many, many attractive qualities of your kingdom, few of which would be quite so perfect if not augmented by himself…Sirius nods with practiced diplomacy, waiting only for the man to take a breath before he turns his attention fully to you. 

“I hoped you might join me for a dance,” he says, leaning closer so he doesn’t have to raise his voice over the music. “The next one is about to start.” 

“Oh I’m not supposed—” You cut yourself off, eyes darting to the courtier monitoring you from the edge of the room. You imagine you’re not supposed to say what you’re not supposed to do. “I’m really not much for dancing.” 

“Come on.” Sirius’ expression is teasing. “It’s rude to turn down an invitation from your guests. Isn’t it, Lord Chamberlain?” 

Lord Chamberlain looks as though if Sirius proves that he knows his name another time he might be in danger of swooning. 

“Yes,” he chokes out. His eyes when they meet yours are something akin to desperate. “Princess, it’s good form.” 

You catch yourself chewing the inside of your lip, stopping as you look back to Sirius. You don’t think he would tattle on you for violating whatever atavistic rule requires you to dance with him, but Lord Bootlicker might. 

“All right,” you say. Far less polite than society allows, you’re sure, but Sirius grins nonetheless. 

“Excellent.” He takes your hand, leading you away. “Always a pleasure, Lord Chamberlain.” 

The other man stands where you left him for a handful of moments, looking dazed, before beelining towards a server carrying refreshments. 

“I don’t know any of the dances,” you hiss at Sirius as he guides you onto the floor. “I’m supposed to be staying away from here.” 

“It’ll be fine,” he promises you, with the sort of confidence only a silver spoon can imbue. “If you just follow in the direction I lead you, your dress will cover up any missteps and I promise not to squeal if you step on my toes.” 

You try to give him a droll look, but you can already feel it happening. You’re succumbing to his charms again. 

There are only a few other partners around you, but here in the center of the room the noise seems even more overwhelming. Conversations overlap, laughter rings out, and music echoes off every wall in the large room. And just in front of you, still holding your hand, Sirius Black is watching you with his flagrant intensity. Even his eyes are too loud. 

He leans close to your ear, breath fanning over your cheek. “Scoping out your dancing competency wasn’t really my aim,” he says. “I only wanted to get you close enough to have a conversation without shouting.” 

You fear your thoughts must be bare in your expression. That afternoon in the sitting room was certainly memorable for you, but you were far from expecting Sirus to single you out afterwards. For all his talk about the novelty of you, he seems like the sort of person to have interesting interactions wherever he goes. 

“Put your hand on my shoulder.” 

You blink. “Huh?” 

Sirius grins, and you realize your slip. No matter how the courtiers you’ve been assigned have drilled into you excuse me, sorry, pardon?, Sirius undoes all your practiced manners with ease. 

“Your hand,” he says again, “goes on my shoulder.”

Just as you settle it tentatively atop of the faintly shiny material of his suit jacket, the music starts. Sirius places a sure hand on the small of your back and grins when you jolt. 

“Easy,” he murmurs, taking your other hand and tugging you gently to the side. Everyone else steps that way too, and you let him lead you through the first steps of the dance. “I won’t bite. Not in front of your grandmother, anyway.” 

You press your lips together to hold in a laugh, eyes finding your grandmother, the Queen, watching you from across the room. She’s smiling faintly, but the courtiers with her look less than pleased. 

You swallow, turning your attention back towards Sirius. “They’re upset with me,” you say. It’s a relief to speak at a normal volume. You know your proximity means he’s the only one who can hear you. “I told you I’m not supposed to be dancing.” 

“They’re not upset that you’re dancing, they’re upset you’re with me,” he replies easily. He guides you into a turn that curls you into him, his arm laying across your chest for just a moment before he turns you back out. “I have a bit of a repute.” 

This, of all the things you’ve learned about Sirius Black, is the least surprising. 

“So, you’re trying to ruin me, then?” you ask, half teasing. 

Sirius grins sharp as a knife. He leans close. “Sweetheart, I want to ruin you in all sorts of ways. That’s just not one of them.” 

Your momentary confidence drops right down to your stomach. If you thought you’d be able to play with Sirius and keep up, clearly you were wrong. 

“We’re going to do a spin,” he warns breezily, saving you from any response. He lets go of your waist, holding your joined hands aloft and using them to guide you away from him and into a twirl.

Only, you go for it too quickly. You’re back in his arms while the other partners are still going through their slow turns. Sirius’ laughter barks out of him loud and sharp before he catches himself. 

“Oh my god,” you mumble, resting your forehead on Sirius’ chest and shutting your eyes in mortification. 

“Hey, it’s alright.” Sirius is still shaking with quiet laughter. His hand is friendly on the small of your back. “That was stunning. All the other ladies wish their skirts had fanned out the way yours just did.” 

“Is skirt fanning really the object of the dance, though?” 

“It’s eye-catching,” he maintains. You can hear the smile in his voice. “You can make anything lovely. Now stop hiding before one of your keepers has a stroke.” 

You remove your face from his chest hastily. Your eyes flit to the courtier at the room’s edge before you return them to Sirius, cheeks burning. 

His look softens. “Don’t fret, gorgeous, you’re not the only one who’s committed a faux-pas just now. That laugh earned me a proper glare from my mother. As soon as the dance is over, they’ll throw us into the dungeons together.” 

“Well, at least it’ll be nice to have someone to talk to down there.” You bite down on a smile. Sirius, you’re beginning to notice, has a way of making all your worries about fitting into polite society feel silly. Nothing feels very serious when he’s around. Ironically enough. “Do we really have a dungeon?” 

Another startled chuckle goes through him. This one is quiet enough not to raise any eyebrows, more’s the pity. “Not one currently in use. It’s a relic, with a door going out to the street so tours can go through.” He smiles, borderline sheepish. “I went on one when I was twelve.” 

“You did?” You can’t stop the smile that leaps up on your face now. It shouldn’t be so easy to picture Sirius as a child, but it surprisingly is. A bit shorter and skinnier than he is now, skin and bones and night-black hair darting around and causing trouble. It’s an odd feeling to think that he explored your family’s palace long before you could, somehow both twinging and reassuring at once. “Is there a reason you’ve been here so often?” 

Sirius looks genuinely surprised at that. “No one’s told you?” At your bemused look, he blinks, seeming to compose himself. His hand flattens on your back. You hadn’t realized he’d been gripping you. “Our families have been friends for literal centuries. My great-great-great-aunt was close with your great-great-whatever, and we’ve never let our claws out of each other.” He gives you a conspiratorial look, leaning closer. “I can’t attest to the relationship between the current ruling generations being quite so amicable, but we cling to each other nonetheless. Trade relations and all that. All that is to say,” he backs up, gifting you with a smile, “we really will be seeing a lot of each other.” 

“Oh.” Your chest flutters with an unidentifiable feeling. You don’t know if you can handle seeing much more of Sirius Black. Every time you meet, it’s like he whittles away all your weeks of training and posture correction with a look. You’ll never make any progress if he’s constantly around to trip you up. “That’s nice.” 

“You’re doing remarkably well,” he notes. You look up, for a moment worrying that he’s read your mind (he seems prone to doing that), but Sirius goes on. “I don’t know what you were talking about earlier, you’re a natural at this. My toes remain unsquished.” He gives you a secret smile. You return it wobbily. “There’s another spin coming up,” he says with a teasing glint in his eyes, “think you can handle it?” 

Honestly? You think you’re already dizzy enough.