Dukaerion angsty omegaverse au because I like to make myself sad
After the tournament and the death of Baelor, Maekar doesn't exile Aerion but marries him away to a lord far away.
After like 5 years, no one had heard from Aerion. He sent a few letters Maekar barely read and then nothing.
Dunk and Egg have been going around doing knightly stuff when a woman recognize Dunk and asks for help.
Her master and her are running away from her master's in laws who are abusive. They are hiding at the stables of an inn and need to reach Stormsend.
They accept but when they reach the inn's stables they realize who this woman's master is.
He looks like shit and has a newborn with him. He is desperate and asks, BEGS for their help.
Egg is taken aback at his brother's sight and doesn't know what to think.
Dunk, being as honorable as always, accepts.
They make their way to Summerhall and notice something is really wrong with Aerion. He is snappy and cruel with his words but seems afraid of them, of their touch, of their voices, of their scents. He flinches and lowers his head, he holds his baby against his chest, shielding them.
At some point Egg raises his voice without noticing and Aerion looks at him with pure terror.
Dunk is gentle with him, treating him more like an spooked animal than the spoiled prince he knew. He never raises his voice, is firm but never stern, lets him get used to his scent and curl next to him. After some time, Aerion starts to trust him and instinctively searching for his warmth and wrapping himself in his scent.
Eventually they get the full story. The Alpha Aerion was married to was very abusive and treated him like shit. The only person that was kind to him was this servant. The abuse kept getting worse and when Aerion found out he was pregnant, he asked this servant to please help him.
Aerion wants to beg his father for protection for his babe. He doesn't care if he dies, he just wants his baby to live.
Dunk swears he will protect the baby.
Egg is hella conflicted because he hated Aerion and wanted him to be punished but this is too much, all the things he went through are just horrid.
They reach Summerhall and now we have even more family drama!
Aerion is angry at his father because he asked for help, he sent letters begging for it, but he needs him, he needs his protection.
Meanwhile, Maekar has to deal with the fact he abandoned his son, the one he blamed for his brother's death for so long, who was spoiled and cruel, to be severely abused by his mate. That he ignored his pleas for help and that he probably would never forgive him and is only there because his grandbaby is in danger. But on other hand, now he has to deal with this lord family.
A wonderful family time...
The only good thing around is Dunk, who has bonded with Aerion and the babe, being their protector.
But things keep getting worse when they find out that during their escape... Aerion killed his husband...
