Summary: In order to get back at his brother, Jughead decides to mess up the one thing he's ordered everyone to not touch: His precious war table.<ao3> <kink masterlist> <crowned masterlist>
Pairing: Jughead Jones x OC ; minor Sweet Pea x OC
A/N: This was request ages ago by @the-gargoyle-queen and @southside-vixen. Finally getting around to it after at least six months. This is for the mirror square on my @riverdalebingo card. I probably won't complete the card by the deadline. I have eleven more prompts and I just don't see myself being able to write that many oneshots by the end of June. Plus I go back to work the week after next which will bring everything to a screeching halt. I will try to update at least twice a month, but that may just not be possible with everything going on.
“Jug, I don’t understand why you had to pull me away from my meeting. It’s important that I get the funding for the food banks sorted out before-” Queen Lily stopped as her husband halted in front of the dreaded war room. Inside was the infamous war table that Sweet Pea had set up with an elaborate map and an army of mini figurines to sort out strategy and combat. Everything was placed in a certain way and was absolutely not to be touched by anyone but him.
The king smirked at his wife, deviousness glinting in his blue eyes. “I owe Sweet Pea a little...pay back.” He said wistfully. “And I finally found a great way to do it.”
She gave him a confused look, “And that involves me how? Really, Juggie, you pulled me away for some petty-”
“We’re fucking on the war table.” He said, cutting her off with a shit-eating grin.
Lily was silent for a moment. While she did enjoy sex with him in inopportune places, she wasn’t totally sold on ditching important work to do it. “But the food banks-”
“I signed off on emergency funding this morning, they’ll be fine for today.” Jughead said, reassuring her. “The kingdom has been fed, so stop worrying. Did you forget about the ceiling?”
“The mirror…” Her voice trailed off. Mirror sex was very much their thing and the war room had a beautifully large mirror on the ceiling. Sweet Pea insisted that it allowed him to see every angle of the battlefield and that it was a totally necessary expenditure. He didn’t have to really convince Jughead of it, as his own personal usage of mirrors immediately came to mind and he agreed to the renovation immediately.
Jughead was grinning as he unlocked the door (Sweet Pea had installed a lock after his wife kept screwing with things just to piss him off) and opened it. He led Lily inside and cut on the lights. “That’s right, the mirror.” Jughead said smugly, closing the door behind her.
Lily was looking at her reflection in the mirror, a look of wonder of her face. “This is such a great idea...Why have we not done this before?”
“Because he hadn’t pissed me off enough before to ruin his ‘work’.” Jughead said, shrugging. “So what do you say?” He asked, putting his hands on her hips and bringing her back against his chest. “Want to?”
She couldn’t help the excited giggle that left her. “Yes! God, yes!” He laughed in response, walking her over to the table in question.
“Then take off your clothes, your highness.” He whispered huskily into her ear before nipping at it playfully. Lily turned around in his arms and slowly took off her dress, unzipping it from the side and letting it fall off her shoulders and hips. It pooled to the floor and she let it sit there, making quick work of her bra and underwear.
Jughead licked his lips, a hungry look on his face as he hoisted her onto the table. Immediately Lily was knocking over painted pewter figures, shoving them all out of the way in order to make room for her body. The thought of how angry this was going to make her brother-in-law sent a thrill down her spine. She could already hear him screaming, pinning the blame on his wife somehow.
“Does my sister know about this?” She asked as Jughead began to kiss her thighs. He pushed her chest to urge her to lay back. She moved more figures out of the way and relaxed against the resin table, looking up at her reflection with a worried look.
“She does.” Jughead said between pecks of his lips, “And she’s well prepared.” He added as he spread her legs apart. Lily took in a sharp intake of air as his lips pressed against her clit in a brief but hard kiss.
His arms wrapped around her thighs, anchoring her in place as he licked a stripe up her slit. Her back arched, head falling back as she let out a soft moan. Jughead repeated the action before teasing the entrance of her cunt with his tongue, swirling it around quickly, flicking in and out before his mouth trailed north to her clit.
He latched on, sucking in juncture with his probing tongue. Lily began to quake on the table, shaking with the feeling of ecstasy that was flooding through her. His grip on her thighs tightened to keep her from kicking him out of the way like she enjoyed doing whenever she got overwhelmed.
Lily whined at him, the need to have something inside of her wet pussy was almost unbearable. A finger, a tongue, anything at this point. The hollow feeling combined with the sensation of him working her clit over was maddening. Despite her impending orgasm, she still felt incredibly desperate for more.
Jughead knew what she wanted and was purposefully denying it. He pulled away for a moment, “Watch yourself, my queen.” He ordered before going back. Lily looked up, locking eyes with her reflection as she watched herself jerk, trying to break free from him even though she knew she was not strong enough to.
She watched her face contort with every moan, her body twist for freedom as she climbed higher and higher. The tension in her abdomen broke as she came, watching through blurred vision as she whimpered and laid flat back on the table. Every touch of his tongue caused her to flinch, his cleaning licks keeping her spent form in overdrive.
Jughead stood, unbuckling his pants before pushing them off his hips along with his boxer briefs. “Don’t take your eyes off yourself.” He ordered. “I want you to watch me fuck you.”
Lily swallowed as she kept her gaze upward. Jughead moved her so that her hips were slightly hanging off the table. It had been a while since he had taken such a firm command over her. While they both switched roles, he had seemed to be needing to sub more often than not. She figured it had to do with work and having to rule over everyone. It was nice to have him back in the saddle again.
Her kegels clenched with anticipation. The need to be full of nothing but him causing more wetness to build within her aching pussy. “Jug,” She whimpered helplessly as he took his sweet time. She dared to look at him however his eyes narrowed into the glare. Lily quickly looked back up at her reflection once more. “I need it, please!’ She said desperately.
Jughead teased her with the head of his penis, barely pressing it inside of her slick hole. He enjoyed watching her squirm and pant, the need for him showing on every inch of her body. A proud smirk overcame him, knowing that he was the only one that could reduce her to such a state.
Then with one broad motion of his hips, he pushed all the way inside of her so fast that she cried out his name in surprise. He didn’t stop once inside, choosing to pull out and start over again. After every thrust forward he nearly pulled all the way out before repeating, rocking the table as she mewled for him on repeat.
He pressed a thumb to her clit, running circles around it as she practically sobbed from the stimulus. She watched him rail into her, her breasts bouncing in rhythm to his thrusts. The way her lips moved with every moan. The dazed look on her face as she demanded more.
Who was he to disregard his queen? Jughead moved his hips and thumb faster, free hand moving to grab the base of her throat. He fucked without care for who could hear them outside, drunk on the sight of her getting off to her own reflection. He dared to look up, watching them both at an entirely new angle. Seeing her from above was even more intoxicating, and what started as a brief glance turned into an enraptured stare.
“Please,” She grappled with his wrist, holding onto it as she had nothing else to grab hold of. “Jug, please-!” He increased the speed of his thumb, tightening the circles around her clit as he put more force into his thrusts. Moments later Lily was wailing with the force of her second climax, screaming for him as her vision blurred with bright blinding shapes and radio static.
Jughead grunting, grabbing both sides of her hips to ride her out before releasing himself deep within her. He looked down at her, leaning over to brush some of the stray tears that had escaped her eyes. He allowed himself to soften inside of her, enjoying her warmth and the closeness as he pulled her into a sitting position in order to hold her trembling form to his.
“We better go.” He murmured to her and she let out a whine of protest. “Before someone tells the prince.” He added teasingly as he pressed a kiss to her temple. “I’ll help you get dressed.”
After dressing her and himself, Jughead picked her up as one would a bride and carried her into their grand bedroom. “I think you earned yourself a nap, your highness.” He said teasingly as she grumbled back an incoherent response, still dazed from the intense set of orgasms. He laid her onto the bed and kissed her goodbye before returning to his royal duties.
An hour later, Sweet Pea walked into the war room, noticing that the door was left unlocked. His eyes narrowed suspiciously as he turned on the lights and headed towards the table. His fury bloomed hot as he saw the pieces of his army strewn about carelessly. “Shanna!” He yelled at the top of his lungs, knowing that his wife must have been the culprit. No one else ever messed with his things.
The former princess poked her head through the door, a wicked grin on her face. “Poor Pea, someone played with his toys when he wasn’t watching.”
He turned and began to storm towards her, however she darted off in a fit of giggles as they started a new came of cat and mouse.
crowned, a fic by theangriestpea
C O M I N G S O O N
masterlist | tag | blog
PRINCESS LILLIAN:
Princess Lillian/Lily: Younger sister, fiery personality, emotional, also blonde, artist. She loves to draw and is extremely talented. She hate lilies even though they are her namesake. Her favorite flowers are daisies! She wants to marry for love and is against her arranged marriage to Sweet Pea. She only sees him as a friend and can’t imagine being romantically involved with him. Especially since she is more attracted to men that are more in touch with their feelings.
Summary: A drunk Prince Sweet Pea comes to apologize after making a complete ass of himself....again. Deleted shower scene from Part 5 of Crowned. If you haven’t read Crowned then this will be incredibly difficult to follow. <ao3>
Pairing: Sweet Pea x OC
Rating: Mature // Explicit
Word Count: 2.1k+
Warnings: Smut, Shower sex, Dirty talk, Hair pulling, Oral, Minor aftercare, Makeup sex
A/N: Welcome to my first installment of @riverdalebingo‘s Kink Bingo for Winter 2020! This is for my Shower Sex square. I’m so happy to be able to finish this so quickly. It’s been a really rough week for me but I made it.
Sweet Pea’s eyes widened at the princess’ massive shower. It could probably fit three people comfortably with how wide it was. There were three nozzles, one on each end and a rain simulator on the top. The shower attached to his room was nothing like this. It was a little more than basic. “You’ve been holding out on me?” He asked incredulously, turning to look at her.
Shanna shrugged, acting like she didn’t know what she was talking about as she took off her robe, having been already naked underneath. His eyes raked her nude form, stopping on her stomach that showed no sign of the baby he knew to be growing inside of her.
She gave him a sly look as she stepped closer towards him, “like what you see, Prince Pea?” Her voice was teasing as she grabbed his hand and placed it on her breast. He squeezed eagerly, if not drunkenly. He was swaying in place and hoped he could stay upright and wouldn’t fall once inside the shower. Then he might hurt all three of them.
He regained his composure and rolled his eyes at her, “turn the water on and you’ll find out.” His words were still slurring slightly, making her giggle. It was a light and flirty sound that caused his heart rate to increase with joy. It was hard to believe he had been in tears only a few minutes before.
The Southside Prince hastily took off his clothes as she cut the water on. She turned various knobs to cut all three shower heads on. Soon after steam was starting to rise from the streaming water.
Shanna stepped in first, enjoying the feeling of the water stinging her skin. She slid the clear glass door open enough for him to hear her. “Do you need help, your royal drunkenness? Or do you think you’ll manage?” She was smirking at the sour look on his face now.
“Watch yourself, princess.” He growled as he stepped in, although he almost slipped. He caught himself in time and Shanna pretended to not notice. He continued his threat, “Keep being a brat and see what I do about it.”
She let out another giggle, obviously not believing that he could do much at the moment. Not while he was this inebriated. He couldn’t even speak without his words wobbling off his lips. “Hmm,” She hummed at him as she grabbed her loofah. “Not sure what a man full of whiskey can do to me.”
While her back was turned, Sweet Pea took the opportunity to smack her hard on the ass. “Here I was, trying to apologize, and you want to be bad.” He hissed into her ear, making her shudder. “I was going to eat you out until you screamed. Maybe I should shove my dick into your mouth instead, to shut you up.”
Shanna looked over her shoulder at him, a look of innocence glazing her blue-green eyes. “Can you even get it up, Pea? Sometimes alcohol can...inhibit performance.”
He grabbed her hips and pulled her back roughly against him so she could feel his erection against the top of her ass. His voice lowered into a growl, “Sounds like you speak from experience. Mantle couldn’t get it up for you after drinking too much wine?”
Shanna gasped lightly as his hand traveled up her stomach, between her breasts, and lightly grasped the base of her throat. “I can assure you, everything is working properly.”
“Is that so?” She murmured, still being defiant despite his threats. The water felt so good on her skin. It also had a major sobering effect on Sweet Pea. He didn’t feel nearly as unsteady anymore.
His grip on her throat tightened for a moment before he let her go, unsure whether or not it might harm the baby. “How rough can I be?” He asked, his voice softening slightly as he subtly asked for consent.
The princess was smiling, though he couldn’t see it. “As rough as you want. You won’t hurt the baby, I promise.” She assured him, having asked her doctor before about what to avoid during sex.
Sweet Pea seemed unsure at first but was ultimately pleased that he didn’t have to be gentle just because she was pregnant. He moved his hips slowly, rubbing his dick between her cheeks. He reached up and grabbed a handful of her blonde hair and yanked it back harshly. “You want to run that mouth some more then, princess?”
“Maybe I wouldn’t run it so much if you weren’t such an asshole.” Shanna countered, only partially joking. Sweet Pea let her hair go in a moment of guilt. He turned her around and pulled her close against him, just holding her for a moment.
She stood, paralyzed with confusion as he never was quite like this before. Mostly he didn’t seem to care if he hurt her. Her feelings were just collateral damage. Perhaps that wasn’t as true as she had believed it to be.
The prince got down on his knees in front of her, looking up with warm brown eyes that made her breath hitch in her throat. She realized that when he said he loved her earlier that he truly meant it. Joy and unease filled her as he kissed down her stomach.
His tongue teased her belly button for a second before he went further. Her back was against the wall of the shower as he lifted her legs so that her thighs were resting on his strong shoulders. His tongue licked a solid stripe from her core to her clit.
Shanna mewled with delight. He had never gone down on her before and gossip had it that he never went down on anyone . There was a sly rumor that he was allergic to going down on women. Clearly that was not the case.
Pea fucked her slowly with his tongue, taking his time to trace her opening before letting it dive inside. The teasing had her whimpering. Her hand was on top of his head, grasping his dark hair tightly as he used his fingers to prod at her clit with the slightest of touches.
She realized that he was torturing her on purpose. Going slow in order to make her ache for him. Despite the brief moment of tenderness he had displayed, it simply had not lasted. Not that she expected it to.
He continued to go slow. “Sweet Pea,” Shanna finally begged, “I need more.”
His dark eyes glanced up to meet hers. He pulled away a millimeter to speak, “say it.”
Shanna frowned, knowing what he wanted her to do. He had an affinity for making her say things that princesses simply shouldn’t say. It could be infuriating at times.
An aggravated huff left her lips as he grazed her clit with his tongue. He licked the area around it but not the bud itself. “Pea,” She whined more, “please eat me out. I need to feel your tongue inside me, please .”
At her request, he finally attacked her with vigor. His fingers moved swiftly against her clit as his tongue flicked in and out of her quickly. The volume of her moans escalated exponentially as she shuddered. He moved fast and with such talent that she wondered if those rumors had been true at all. Certainly he must have had some practice.
The princess hit her peak not too long after he gave in to her demands. Her nails scratched along his scalp, thighs clenching his head as she struggled to not fall. Sweet pea held her firmly in place, securing her safely against the wall with his arms.
When she was done squirming in his grasp, he set her down gently. Shanna caught her breath and smiled happily. “That’s a first.”
He rolled his eyes at her, trying not to laugh. “I can cum in you all I want now. No need to hold back.”
“You were holding back before?” She asked, a look of shock on her face. “Me not being pregnant certainly didn’t not stop you from not wrapping it up.”
A chuckle then came out of him, “I only wear condoms with one night stands.”
Shanna bit her lip, “so you never planned on me being a one time thing?”
He rolled his eyes at her getting sentimental. “Don’t flatter yourself. I didn’t have a condom on me that day and you were begging like such a good girl, I just had to fuck you then and there.”
Her cheeks flushed red at his words. “Ass.” She mumbled to him, crossing her arms over her chest.
Sweet Pea hummed back an affirmative. Of course he was an ass. That was his default setting. “Hush, you’re not a one time thing anymore, Princess. Even if we have to slip away in the dead of night. My brother could never fuck you like I can.”
She wrinkled her nose in disgust, “I am not having sex with Jughead. That’s gross.”
He laughed again, louder this time. “Turn around.” She obliged and he kissed her shoulder, nipping at the skin. “He couldn’t please you anyway.” He whispered into her ear in a deep voice that had her arousal spiking again. “Probably couldn’t make you cum.”
“You enjoy putting him down, don’t you?” She said, trying not to giggle, “maybe I’ll have to consummate our marriage and find out.”
He grabbed her roughly then, rubbing his tip along her slit, “you’re mine.” He growled at her before pushing in without warning. Lav cried out in pleasure, her back arching as he grabbed her hair again and pulled it back harshly.
Sweet Pea thrust into her at a rough pace. Shanna had to put her hands on the wall to keep herself steady, although his hand in her hair and on her hip kept her from falling.
Their moans mingled together with the sound of the water hitting their skin. He didn’t let up, only increasing his pace and the force of his hips periodically. The princess was struggling not to lock her knees to keep herself standing, the pleasure making her legs turn to unreliable jelly.
He seemed to sense this and put both hands on her hips with a grip that was bound to leave bruises. It didn’t take long before he made her reach her second orgasm. Pea only moved faster, not letting up until she had a third.
He released inside of her, his cock twitching in a way that made her moan due to how sensitive she was from multiple orgasms. He held her steady, not wanting her to fall and harm herself. After a moment he finally pulled out, his spilled seed running down the inside of her legs.
The dark prince’s arm circled her waist and he held her close as they both caught their breaths. There was a small ledge against the back wall and he guided her to sit there. Shanna happily sat down and relaxed against the smooth white tile. “I’m yours.” She said simply, making him smirk with triumph.
He took her loofah and lathered it with soap before cleaning up her legs, gently sponging the rest of her body with special care to her stomach. She was smiling at him sleepily, wanting nothing more than to get out and go cuddle with him in bed for the rest of the night.
Sweet Pea quickly washed up, though annoyed that he would smell like vanilla the following day. He’d have to take a shower in his own room just to get the scent of her feminine shampoo out. If he walked around the castle smelling like her then it might raise unnecessary suspicions.
“How do I turn the thing off?” He asked, staring at the multitude of silver knobs. Shanna laughed lightly as she stood and turned the water off. Pea put an arm around her, though it was unnecessary. She was finally steady on her own again.
They got out and toweled off. Neither chose to put clothes back on before crawling into her canopy bed. The prince let out a sigh as he laid on his back with her head on his chest. Shanna’s arm was draped lazily over his waist.
“I’ll always love you.” She mumbled back, half-awake now. She needed him to know that despite the fact that she had to marry his brother, she would forever care about him first and foremost.
The prince hummed back, not wanting to say the words out loud himself. His fingers traced down her spine slowly. He didn’t have to vocalize what he meant. She knew perfectly well. He’d always love her too.
Summary: Two blonde princesses, two dark-haired princes, and one plotting marquess. Lily is in love with a secret admirer. Shanna doesn’t want to ascend to the throne. Jughead wants to spend the day writing poetry. Sweet Pea would rather be out on his horse. And Reggie just wants to be king.
<ao3> <masterlist>
Pairing: Sweet Pea x OC, Jughead Jones x OC
Word Count: 4.7k+
Warnings: Mentions of wartime and violence.
A/N: Thank you everyone who has supported me through this series. This is the first completely fanfiction series I’ve completed in quite some time not counting one-shots. I’m pretty terrible at finishing fics because I’m HORRIBLE at endings...and middles....really I’m only good at beginnings lmao. Please enjoy the Epilogue and look for more oneshots that I’ll write for this universe periodically. More “Deleted scenes” if you will, since the last one I wrote did really well. Ao3 is currently down so I’ll updated it there as soon as it comes back up.
Part Six: Epilogue
The screams of the two princesses echoed down the hallway. King Owens paced frantically outside the closed door to the special room in the royal infirmary. Sweat beaded on his brow as his stomach turned as he heard his oldest cry out once again.
He was useless. Just as useless as he was on the days they were born. He fainted when his wife was pushing out Shanna and would have passed out for Lily had he not been sitting down already at the doctor’s request. He did well under political pressure, but not under personal stress.
Inside the room, divided by a thin curtain, Shanna and Lily were plagued with labor pains. Though their due dates were a few days apart, and still about a week away, both had started contractions heavily that morning.
Shanna blamed her husband. Sweet Pea had seduced her into a round of wake-up sex which triggered her labor. Hearing her sister’s cries of pain caused Lily so much stress that she then went into labor. It was quite the royal disaster.
Sweet Pea’s fingers were currently being fractured in his wife’s tight grip. “I fucking hate you!” She yelled, tears trailing down her face, “you just had to get your dick wet!”
“That’s why this is happening?!” Lily yelled from the other side of the curtain, poised on her own bed. “Because he couldn’t take care of his morning wood himself?”
Jughead, future king of Riverdale, was doing his best to not laugh at his brother’s misfortune of incurring the wrath of both princesses. In fact, he couldn’t keep the smile from beaming across his face as today would be the day that he’d finally meet his son.
Sweet Pea would have been overjoyed to see his daughter in person for the first time as well if he weren’t currently being screamed at by two women in an insurmountable amount of pain. Their contractions were fairly closed together, although Lily was dilated about two inches more and was finally ready to get an epidural.
Princess Shanna was breathing heavily between muscle contractions as she tried to rest against the bed until her next one hit in approximately two minutes. She overheard the nurse letting Lily know she could get anesthetic now and Shanna groaned with the agony of jealousy.
Her own nurse checked her once more, head bobbing under the sheet that was tented by her knees. “Not quite yet, your highness.” She said, much to Shanna’s disdain. The nurse stood back up, putting the sheet back down. “But soon. Hopefully a few more minutes.”
“She’s dragging this out because she’s trying to kill me!” Shanna yelled in a fit of dramatics as she noticed Lily’s own pained sobs had mostly quieted. The world was cruel and she’d love nothing more than to catapult Sweet Pea into the sun for doing this to her.
Sweet Pea tried to soothe her by smoothing down her mussy hair, “no she’s not. She’s just not ready to come out yet…”
“And whose fault is that?” Shanna snapped at him angrily, ready to break another one of his phalanges. He blanched, knowing that this day might end in his own death.
Twelve laborious hours after she went into labor, Crowned Princess Lily gave birth to a healthy baby boy and newest heir to the throne. Of course, keeping with traditions, he was named Forsythe Pendleton Jones IV. Although the couple had settled on the nickname “Pax” to symbolize the peace he was to bring to their newly joined kingdoms.
Shanna was not quite as lucky. Her own labor lasted a total of fifteen hours before the new little princess joined the world at last. Princess Dahlia, after a flower that Shanna was quite fond of and in keeping with the floral tradition of her husband’s name.
Although no longer ascending the throne, Shanna still had to stay in the Northside castle as her husband was training the ground troops there to get them into shape. Some of his best men had come from the Southside to help him and he spent entirely too much time in his beloved war room, leaving his wife and newborn daughter to fend for themselves.
Well, as much as princesses would need to, considering the personal servants and chambermaids they both had. The king had even tried to order for a wet nurse to be available but the new mothers greatly protested as they didn’t want anyone else to be feeding their newborn children. Unfortunately for the king, he had to accept that his daughters were grown adults now and no longer needed his help with much.
Six weeks after Pax and Dahlia were born, the crowning ceremony was held for Lily and Jughead to finally become the reigning couple. King Owens stepped down from king to simply father of the queen. In truth, he was quite okay with this as ruling solo for so long had been quite tiresome. He had been looking forward to the rest greatly. Although he did stick around for a majority of the council meetings to help guide his daughter in the political processes. Afterall, Shanna had been the one trained in all of it and not Lily. It was an easy fix, however, and Lily was a natural just as her mother had been.
With Lily and Jughead ruling as equals, most of their day was spent going over new decrees, new laws being passed, having an audience with those wanting to propose changes or new social programs, going over financing the Southside with supplies, and various odds and ends. This meant that for a majority of the day, their son was actually in the care of his aunt as she had no royal duty to do...well anything really.
It actually caused her a great deal of distress, although feeling mostly fulfilled as a mother and aunt, she still grew depressed with the thought that this was all that was left for her while her sister and husband were off doing bigger and better things. She was left in their dust and was feeling particularly ignored and abandoned.
She was in her favorite sunroom with the two infants one day, alone as usual, and on this particular day she was weeping silently as she rocked the bassinet Pax was currently fussing in as he was fighting sleep. Her own daughter was already passed out from a belly full of fresh breast milk.
Duke Mantle, not the old pissant Marty but the new and improved Reginald, came across her there and noticed something wasn’t right. He came in slowly, not wanting to startle her or the little one that she was trying to get to sleep.
“Princess…?” He asked softly as she quickly wiped the tears from her face, hoping that he hadn’t seen them. But of course, he had. That was one of the reasons why he was coming in here. “May I sit down?”
Shanna let out a tired sigh. She didn’t sleep much, really only when both babies were asleep was she finally able to drift off into dreamlessness. “You may.” She said, her exhaustion evident in her voice.
Reggie sat down on the couch beside her. Not too close to be inappropriate, but close enough to try and give some kind of comfort. “What’s wrong?” He asked timidly, a tone that he very rarely took. She didn’t even look at him as she continued to gently move the bassinet back and forth in a rhythm that only she could feel.
“What do you care, Reggie?” She bit back, not understanding what he was doing here when he surely had some important things to do. Even the duke had a bigger role to play in the kingdom than she did at this point. She never thought that she would one day regret giving up the crown.
The duke frowned, “I know I didn’t act like it, Princess Shanna, but I have always cared about you. I never stopped caring. Everything I did to hurt you, that was my father’s doing. I never once lied about my feelings for you.”
More tears flooded her eyes as she tried to get them to stop. Hearing this from him was definitely not something she had realized that she needed. It did help heal some of her past hurts though and perhaps she felt the tiniest bit less used by him. She was quiet, still not answering his question.
“What is wrong?” He repeated, moving just a fraction closer. “Is something wrong with the prince?” His gaze moved to Pax who was finally starting to settle down, although gave the occasional whimper of protest.
“No, he’s fine.” She murmured, “Everything’s fine. I don’t have to be queen. I’m married to Sweet Pea. I have a beautiful daughter and nephew...everything is totally and completely fine.”
This was an obvious lie as if that were truly the case then she wouldn’t be sitting here by herself crying. Reggie obviously knew this as it wasn’t hard to deduce. “Then why are you crying?”
She hesitated, unsure if she should bare her soul to him once more. The last time she did it bit her on the ass. “My life has always had a purpose in regards to the kingdom. I was raised with an important role to fill. Now that I don’t have that...I feel completely useless.”
Her shoulders trembled with the threat of another sob, however she held it in. She didn’t want anyone seeing her like this, especially not Reggie. Despite him greatly improving himself over the past few months and flourishing with his new title, she still couldn’t help but feel like he was an old enemy that she just couldn’t trust.
Reggie put a gentle hand on her shoulder. He hesitated as he felt her stiffen beneath his touch. It was not a romantic gesture, rather a comforting one. Something to assure her that she wasn’t as alone as she felt. “Everyone else has a role to fill and you don’t.” He said, more for clarification than as a statement. Shanna nodded her head weakly. Even her husband had an incredibly important job. The once crowned princess was now nothing more than a royal nanny.
He gently rubbed her shoulder, “I think you’re greatly minimizing your importance in the work you are doing, princess.” He said softly, hoping she would take his words to heart. “Not just anyone can be a mother. And these are just regular children you’re taking care of. The crowned prince will one day be king of all of Riverdale. To ensure he is a good one, then he must be raised right. It takes a special person to do that. Not to say that the queen isn’t special, she is. I just mean it’s not something a commoner could do.”
Reggie paused, taking in her countenance. Shanna was still frowning, albeit not quite as deeply. “And Princess Dahlia I’m sure will one day have an important role herself. She could take over her father’s job or simply help rule the Southside for Prince Forsythe. My point is that she will also need a special upbringing as well. You should not sell yourself so short.”
Shanna chewed on her lip in thought. She wanted to believe him but that was proving to be difficult. The duke continued, “What you’re doing is extremely important, but if you still want to do more then why don’t you think about starting new social programs for the mothers of Riverdale? Help them get the things they need to take better care of their children.”
Finally she cracked a smile, “Reggie...that’s a wonderful idea. I could totally do that and propose it to Lily, I’m sure she’ll agree with it. Jughead will just have to sign off on the financial aid, but…”
His face mirrored hers: happy and excited, “I could help you if you want. Give your proposal while you take care of these two. Maybe work out any of the kinks that pop up.”
She turned to look at him fully, “Thank you, Reggie. This is the nicest thing you’ve ever done for me. How can I repay you?”
“Just stop hating me.” He said softly, eyes downcast with hurt, “forgive me. I never wanted to hurt you. You know the difficult position my father put me in, and-” She cut him off with a wave of her hand.
“If that’s all, then certainly I can do that. All is forgiven, Duke Mantle. Now, go grab a notepad and a pen and we’ll get started.” The princess declared, a smile still lighting up her face.
Reggie nodded and quickly did as she asked before joining her back on the couch so they could get to work.
|\/\/|
Shanna had still not been getting much sleep. Dahlia insisted on eating every two hours, even during the night. Though it relieved the fullness of her breasts, she was starting to feel utterly defeated. Sweet Pea, who slept like a sentient rock, did not wake up to his daughter’s cries. He was totally immune to her hunger pains.
But today was different. Today Sweet Pea had taken some time off to spend with his new family, mostly his daughter who he couldn’t quite believe the amount of love he had for her. He never wanted to protect something so fiercely as her in his entire life. He didn’t get any kind of paternal leave as there was much too much work to do. Instead he was forced to take time off here and there to get any real quality time with her.
Luckily this gave his wife some time to nap peacefully without having to worry about being woken up by a baby. Pax was with the queen today as she took her own day off to play with her little boy. Her and Jughead did this from time to time as to not miss these crucial first moments of their child’s life.
The princess had been asleep for the past three hours, which was more consecutive time than she’d had since Dahlia was born. If she truly wanted to, she could have nannies take care of her, but Shanna was determined to do it herself. If other mother’s could then so could she.
She was abruptly woken by the loudest burp she had ever heard. It startled her so bad that she nearly fell off the bed. She let out a groan before pulling on the robe and going into the living room of their new suite to see who the hell that came from and to promptly yell at them.
“I swear to god, Sweet Pea, the best sleep I get in two months and you-” She walked in to find both her husband and daughter in a fit of giggles. It was the first time she had heard Dahlia do something other than cry… Her eyes teared up with joy.
“She is definitely my daughter. Did you hear that whopper? That was her!” He was so utterly proud of his offspring in that moment that he thought he might burst.
Shanna did not look nearly as impressed. Mostly she just looked exhausted. “Did you give her gas drops?”
He grinned before kissing his baby on the forehead. “Of course I did. Looks like they’re working perfectly. Sleep well?”
“I did until the princess woke me up with the loudest burp in the history of the kingdom.” She grumbled as she tried to wipe the sleep from her eyes. “Well, I guess I’m up now. I should pump since she just ate. Did she take the bottle okay?”
“Yes. I told you she would. Just let me feed her sometimes at night. You don’t always have to do it. All you have to do is pinch me and I’ll wake up.” Sweet Pea said, a smile still on his face as he was still entirely too amused.
She smiled before sitting down on the couch, “I guess I can. I feel bad because you have to work.”
Sweet Pea sat down beside her. “It’s not like you do nothing all day.” He said, rolling his eyes. “How is the new proclamation going? Mantle behaving himself?”
Her eyes lit up, “it’s going wonderfully! We’re going to give the formal proposal next Tuesday. It would help every newborn in the kingdom and make sure every new mother and father have all the tools they need to raise their babies. I’m so excited. Lily was very on board when I told her about it at lunch yesterday.”
Dahlia was staring up at him with big hazel eyes that matched her mother’s. She cooed at him before yawning.
“I’d be worn out too after that monstrosity you just let out.” Shanna said teasingly as she poked her little girl’s belly. Dahlia grinned a toothless smile before yawning a second time.
“I’m proud of you, princess.” Sweet Pea said suddenly. “I didn’t know brats could make such good mothers.” His tone turned teasing at the end.
Shanna’s eyes narrowed and she pulled on his earlobe, making him yelp in pain. “Jerk. I’m only a brat when you’re an ass. Besides, you enjoy it. Don’t try to deny it either because I’m not an idiot.”
The dark prince just laughed lightly, knowing it was true.
Meanwhile in what was the new wing for the King and Queen, Lily and Jughead sat with their son who had also just fallen asleep. “He’s so perfect.” Jughead said in a soft voice as to not wake the sleeping baby. “I can’t believe I helped create him.”
Lily was smiling at the swaddled bundle in her arms. “He has your eyes.” She commented, “the Jones’ blue eyes...I hope they don’t change when he gets older.”
Jughead grinned, “They won’t, trust me. All the men in my family have the same blue eyes...well, except for Sweet Pea but that’s because he’s adopted. Dahlia got Lav’s eyes anyway.”
The queen giggled lightly as she got up and gently placed Pax in his bassinet. “The prince who will finally bring peace to Riverdale...Do you think we expect too much of him?”
“Not any more than my father expected of me.” The new crowned king said honestly. “Once this war with Greendale is over then things should settle and be peaceful again. No other kingdoms are so gungho for war. The one-eyed queen is the last one trying to wreak havoc with her Gargoyles.”
Lily shook her head, “yes but now we’ll have the best Serpent army training our troops. We are twice as strong now. She won’t be able to even touch us. Especially with Sweet Pea leading them.”
Jughead was silent for a few moments. “I do worry what will happen when he goes into battle….”
She ran a hand through his thick hair, “we have to trust that he’ll be smart when he goes in. And pray that he stays safe. My sister would be devastated if anything were to happen to him. Dahlia deserves a father.”
“I know. That’s what concerns me. His temper or pride will blind him and he’ll get himself hurt or worse.” Jughead said, his face going stoic.
The queen shook her head, not wanting to discuss something so serious on their day off. “It’s his job, Jug. None of us have a choice. He’ll want to be out there anyway. You can’t stop him from doing what he loves.”
The king gave an exasperated sigh. “I know. He’s like a bull. At least his strategies are brilliant. Maybe that’ll be enough to keep him from getting himself killed.”
“We can only hope….”
Six months later the worst happened. Greendale finally made its move against Riverdale, attacking the border bases and cities. Jughead had no choice but to send Sweet Pea and his best troops to the front line. It was his duty, no matter how much Princess Shanna begged him to not make his brother go.
Dahlia was old enough to understand that her father was gone. What she didn’t understand was why. Shanna put on a brave face for her daughter but to be honest she spent most nights crying in her large bed alone. Lily did her best to be there and comfort her sister but she was so busy with her work that she didn’t have much time.
The unsung hero of the story was really Duke Mantle who helped Shanna immensely with both the children and keeping her head in a good place. Lily practically ordered him to keep her preoccupied so she didn’t dwell on thinking the worst.
The prince and princess wrote to each other as much as they could. Mail was slow getting to the front lines but letters from Princess Shanna were marked as the highest importance. While some of the older generals protested this, as they saw it as a distraction, Sweet Pea assured them that it was essential to keep up morale. Letters from home was the best way to do that.
Although, Sweet Pea quite regularly showed concern on how close Reggie and Shanna were getting. She had to keep reassuring him that it wasn’t like that in the slightest and to trust her. He’d always be her prince. She couldn’t even think of having that kind of relationship with Reggie again. The mere thought left a bad taste in her mouth.
The following week the letters stopped coming. Shanna waited day after day for just a single update on how her husband was fairing, but so far there was no news. At least none that had been released to her. She was almost certain that Jughead knew something and just wasn’t telling her. Hermes was in the stable the night before last on a return trip. This only meant that the king had gotten word from the frontlines.
During tea time that afternoon, Princess Shanna forced her way into the tea room with both babies in tow. “Jughead, I demand that you tell me what is going on!” The server in the room flinched at the casualness. The princess was giving orders to the king. The lack of proper etiquette was appalling.
“I don't understand what you’re talking about, Shanna.” The king said dismissively as he took another sip of her Earl grey.
She stomped her foot, “I know Hermes is in the stable as we speak! I know you’ve gotten news from the front. Tell me!” She demanded once more.
King Jughead was informal for the most part. At least, in the presence of family. Her accosting him in this way did not bother him in the slightest. Mostly because he knew she was worried sick about his brother and not because she was trying to be blatantly disrespectful. “Shanna, please. Sit down.”
Lily looked curiously between her sister and her husband, drinking a bit of her own white tea blend that was made special for the royal family. “Bring Pax here, I’ll hold him.” She said with a smile.
Shanna went around the table and deposited the prince before walking back around to take her seat, Dahlia perched on her lap with wide and curious eyes. She blinked at the adults around her before babbling something incoherent at Pax who merely cooed back.
Jughead took a deep breath before setting his cup down. “There was an ambush. The Gargoyles have mostly shifted to guerrilla warfare as Sweet Pea had suspected they would. Something happened about six days ago to cause the line of communication to nearly be cut.”
Princess Shanna bit her lip in anticipation, her heart sinking down into her stomach as she knew bad news was to come. Her eyes began to water in preparation. “Sweet Pea’s unit was attacked at night. The watchers were killed before they could raise the alarm. There were some devastating losses, however we were ultimately victorious.”
“And Pea?” She asked, growing impatient with him. He should have told her about this as soon as he found out!
“He was gravely injured. He just recently regained consciousness.” Jughead said, “but the doctors assure me he will make a full recovery. They are bringing him home now to recuperate while General Fogarty steps up to lead in his stead. I wanted it to be a surprise when he got here.”
At first, tears did fall. Sad tears over hearing that he had been hurt badly. However, they quickly turned to happy tears instead at the knowledge that he would be home soon. “How soon? When will he be home?”
The king smiled, “Tomorrow afternoon. I want him to get as much rest as possible and I need you to see to it that he doesn’t try to overdo it. He was very upset that he was being sent home.”
“Thank you so much, Jug.” Shanna said, still crying as she held Dahlia close to her chest. “I’m sorry I was yelling at you.”
Lily grinned, “it’s okay. We know how much stress you’re under. I would be lost if Jughead had to go off to war. Take all the time you need. I can keep Pax tomorrow so you can spend time with him.”
Her tears eventually stopped as she smiled back at her sister, “you’re the best, Lily. I love you both.”
Of course there were many, many, more tears when Sweet Pea finally arrived home the following day. Shanna nearly knocked him and his wheelchair over with excitement when she nearly jumped into his arms. The nurse pushing him had to stop her. “Princess, I’m sorry, he’s still very hurt.”
A worried look crossed her face before she leaned in and kissed him, gently at first until he pulled her into his lap on his own to deepen it. The nurse made a disapproving face at the two of them. “Your highness…”
“Let me kiss my wife, damn it.” He said back to the girl before hugging Shanna close to him. “Where’s my princess at?”
“She’s taking a nap, come on.” Shanna got off of him and took the wheelchair from the nurse. “I’ll take you to her.” She pushed him, struggling a little at first, “Christ you’re heavy.”
Sweet Pea rolled his eyes, “I don’t need help, I can do it myself.” He put his hands on the wheels and began to propel himself down the hallway.
That night, there was a family dinner in the dining hall. Sweet Pea talked about his more glorious battles, much to Shanna’s dismay. Hearing him in constant danger made her anxiety swell to an almost intolerable level.
Lily announced that Shanna’s program to provide care packages to the new parents of Riverdale (North and Southsides) would be in full effect within the week’s end. Everyone with a child under the age of one would be receiving guidebooks, equipment, toys, and more information on resources available to them in the event that they needed help with formula, baby food, diapers, wipes, and/or medical care. The support from the kingdom over this decree had been overwhelmingly positive, especially from the Southside who didn’t always have access to the programs that had been instilled on the Northside for several years now.
The previous king was alight with pride for his two daughters. This was the first major new social program implemented by the new regime and he couldn’t be happier. Former King Forsythe was also quite impressed with the whole thing. He knew that the families in his old kingdom would greatly benefit from this. It was nice to know that the place he strived to make a prosperous home for many was finally getting the second chance it deserved.
The war lasted for another three years, however Sweet Pea would come home after every four months or so to visit. He would stay with his wife and daughter for a couple months before leaving again. When the war had finally ended, Riverdale proved the winner as they beat back the Greendale forces until they had no man power or supplies left to feasibly continue their tirade. There were great losses on the Riverdale side as well, but not nearly to the same degree as Greendale.
Sweet Pea and the rest of the soldiers returned home for good, much to the joy and happiness of the families that had awaited them for so long. Sweet Pea, Shanna, and Dahlia moved to live in the castle in the Southside while Jughead, Lily, and Pax stayed in the North. They visited each other often and communicated almost daily. Despite the distance, the siblings were still incredibly close with one another.
And they all lived happily ever after.
Tag List: @the-gargoyle-queen, @princesweetpea, @wayward-river, @southside-vixen, @redhairdontcare732, @lilhemmo, @iamaunicorn4704, @jezzabelleserpent
Summary: Two blonde princesses, two dark-haired princes, and one plotting marquess. Lily is in love with a secret admirer. Shanna doesn’t want to ascend to the throne. Jughead wants to spend the day writing poetry. Sweet Pea would rather be out on his horse. And Reggie just wants to be king.
<ao3> <masterlist>
Pairing: Sweet Pea x OC, Jughead Jones x OC
Word Count: 4.6k+
Warnings: None really, mild drinking I suppose.
A/N: Welcome to the grande finale! Part six will be an epilogue! Thank you to everyone who read and enjoyed this series! There is also a scene that was omitted from this part that will be made into a one-shot later. Enjoy! Graphics on this chapter at by @princesweetpea!
Part Five: Wedding Bells
Two fair haired princesses sat in silence at the table drinking a special blend of mint and ginger tea. They had both had unsettled stomachs for a few weeks now, and it was only getting worse. Everyone around them had chalked it up to nerves before their big day. In truth, that was part of it but not the reason why they had been so ill.
“We have to tell them.” Lily said after a sip of tea. She held the teacup gently in her hands. The fragile porcelain was shaking slightly in her grip. “It’s the right thing to do.”
Shanna was quiet for the longest time, and Lily wondered if she even heard her. They sat in a stuffy silence for another ten minutes before she finally spoke. “You’re right. They deserve to know.” Her voice was barely above a whisper. “Did the tea help you at all?”
Lily shrugged, “a little. I feel slightly less like puking and more like laying catatonic on my bed until it all goes away.”
“We’ve got a long time before that happens.” Shanna said with an unladylike groan. “Well, I know where Sweet Pea is. Always in his fucking war room. Any idea where Jughead is?”
She bit her lip as she thought, “I’m not sure. Probably with daddy. It will look weird if I go get him. He will get suspicious…”
“Divide and conquer then?” Shanna asked, “I’ll get my fiance, you get yours?”
Lily nodded reluctantly. “Meet back here in ten minutes?”
“Deal.”
Roughly ten minutes later, the two princes had joined their future wives with a curious look in their eyes. They had noticed their strange behavior lately but they assumed it was just stress.
The girls stared at one another, unsure if they should proceed. “Well?” Sweet Pea asked, annoyed that he had been interrupted. “I was in the middle of something important.” Shanna snorted back in response, knowing it couldn’t have been all that important since he was willing to come their little rendezvous.
“On the count of three?” Lily asked her sister who simply nodded in response. She took a deep breath and counted slowly.
Once of three they said in almost perfect unison, “I’m pregnant.” Before looking down at the ground, ashamed of their confession. It had been so stupid , so reckless of them to let this happen. Their wedding was in one week. Maybe, just maybe, they could get away with this without anyone finding out. After all, they were only about four or five weeks along.
The princes stared at them, Sweet Pea baffled with how this could have happened while Jughead had a broad smile slowly spread over his features. “This is great!” He exclaimed happily, clapping his hands together for emphasis.
The other three royals stared at him with wide eyes and mouths agape. Great? How in the hell was this great? “Do tell me, brother,” Sweet Pea drawled with a grave tone, “how exactly is this great ? We have to raise each other’s kids!” He threw his arms up in exasperation before pacing vigorously.
Lav frowned, shuffling her feet and shifting her weight uncomfortably. She had known he’d be upset but she still wasn’t prepared for it. “You have to get rid of it.” He quickly added, looking directly at his lover with piercing brown eyes. They only softened when he saw the tears spill from her eyelids and down her cheeks.
“Is that what you want?” She asked in a voice that shook like a leaf in a tornado. Pain made it crack with hurt. “You want me to just kill it and pretend none of this ever happened?”
“You cannot be queen and give birth to my child!” He said, voice raised due to the intense anxiety he was feeling. “What about that don’t you understand?”
Her eyes set ablaze as she stormed up to him and slapped him hard across the face, leaving the faint red impression of a hand print. “I understand that you’re a heartless, prick. Thank the heavens I’m not marrying you instead!”
This time his eyes portrayed his own pain at her words. Something he normally steeled himself to. For a brief moment they both felt guilt. However, their anger made it quickly wash away. “No one will ever love you.” He bit back, spitting out the same phrase he told her after their first race. “Not my brother, not me, not your bastard child, no one.”
Lily was about to jump on him herself, but Shanna stopped her. She swallowed the sob that threatened to erupt from her as she stared at him with narrow eyes, tears still streaming down her flushed cheeks. Before anything else could be said, the dark prince stormed from the room, the door slamming shut in his wake.
Jughead was in a state of shock at how cruel his brother had just been to his fiance. To the woman he had consensually impregnated with his own seed. As soon as the door slammed closed, the older girl broke down. Before she could fall to her knees, both him and Lily caught her in their arms. They looked at one another with sorrowful eyes, knowing this was a pain they could not mend.
“Don’t listen to that asshole.” Lily said, running her hands through her sister’s golden hair. “I love you. Our babies will love you. And I’m sure Jug-”
“I’ll love you.” Jughead said with a soft smile, “maybe not in the way that I’m supposed to, but I will still care for you always.” The words stung Lily but not as much as she thought they would. This was their cold reality. There was no going back.
Once he was back in his precious war room, Sweet Pea broke down himself. He remained silent as hot tears flooded his eyes and he went down to his knees in front of his war table. Everything was so messed up. Him marrying Lily. Shanna carrying his child. And worst of all the immense guilt he felt from the horrible things he had said to her out of anger. His father had tried time and time again to teach him control, but it always failed him in the end. This was just too much, he couldn’t bear it.
And worst of all he knew that she’d hate him now and would possibly never let him see the baby she refused to get rid of. A prince or princess that will forever be their dirty little secret. A boy or girl that will one day ascend the throne even though they will have no Jones blood in them. But if anyone knew the truth, the alliance could break. Shatter their peaceful lives into tiny unmendable fragments. War would rage with the kingdom of Greendale. Their happiness was a lost cause.
But still, he had broken his own heart with the way he had acted and unfortunately, this time, he had no idea on how he’d make it better. His own bride to be was likely to loathe him as well. Essentially he had just made his home life hell for who knows how long. Their joint weddings would be next week, not even a full seven days away. They’d honeymoon and I suppose consummate but it was far more possible that the only way he would get laid from now on would be through the string of mistresses he had planned to keep. Because ultimately no one would feel like Shanna did when she was in his arms or how comforting her presence was while they were in bed together. No, he’d probably just sleep alone.
And that night, he was alone in his room. His eyes rimmed red and inflamed from the many tears he had shed. He stared up at the blank white ceiling, wondering how things were ever going to be okay again. No one had spoken to him, no one had bothered him for the rest of the day. Even so, he got no more work done. He was far too upset to concentrate.
Instead he had found a bottle of top shelf whiskey in the kitchen and had taken it to his bedroom to nurse solemnly. It was half gone, his mind fuzzy and somehow horny for the one he had cast away. Perfect, he needed her and he had made it so she’d never satisfy him again. Why did he always screw things up?
There was a banging on his door and he slurred a sloppy come in . The door opened and his brother stood, looking tired and angry and determined. Shit. Sweet Pea knew that face well. That was the face Jughead made when he was on a mission to fix something that is broken. That something was no doubt the current state of his relationship with the woman that would bare his child.
“Are you drunk?” He asked, staring at the dark prince that appeared to be extremely disheveled. Sweet Pea hiccuped a confirmation, having no need to use actual words to affirm the state in was currently in.
Jughead wanted to punch him. Sweet Pea had a habit of drinking copious amounts when he was upset. It was a terrible coping mechanism that he and their father shared even though they weren’t blood relatives.
He moved closer to the bed as Sweet Pea sat up. He grabbed the bottle from his nightstand and took another chug. Jughead snatched it from him before he could finish. “Is this about what you said to Shanna earlier?”
Sweet Pea would rather fuck a cactus then talk about this with the crown prince. He thought it was glaringly obvious as to why he was drinking. Today had been a pretty shitty day. He found out he was going to be a dad and then ruined his relationship with the child’s mother. It was beyond terrible.
“I didn’t mean it…” He mumbled, mostly to himself. He didn’t mean it, but that didn’t stop him from saying it. The moment replayed in his head like a broken record set to haunt him for the rest of his life. There was no way he could make this up to her.
Jughead let out an aggravated sigh. “I don’t understand why you blew up like that. It’s not that bad. Actually, I think it’s pretty great. I love kids.”
Sweet Pea rolled his eyes, “You want to raise someone else’s kid?” He spat back at him, “you won’t even see yours most of the time.”
He shrugged, “I’d rather you be a father to them than a stranger.” He answered honestly. “We both need heirs anyway. This just speeds things up.”
Pea stared at him in an attempt to see if he was being serious or not. Did he really not see how dangerous this was? “And what if someone does a DNA test on the child? What then?”
“I’ll be king. It won’t matter because what I say will be absolute.” Jughead replied sharply with an air of authority. “We only have to keep this a secret for six more days. Then, it won’t matter. The deal will be sealed. No harm can come to our kingdoms. So if you ever want to see your kid in the future, I suggest you go to Shanna and apologize for what you said to her.”
“She’s not going to forgive me.” Sweet Pea said miserably. “She probably won’t even answer the door.”
“Go try!” Jughead said, his frustration showing more and more. “Because she’s having your child whether you want her to or not! You could at least be a halfway decent person for once in your life and mend things with her before our weddings.”
His brother’s words hurt. They struck him deep in the chest. Maybe Jughead was right, maybe he wasn’t a decent person. Always sleeping around. Breaking hearts. Getting into fights….the bad in him seemed to outweigh the good and he suddenly wondered what she saw in him at all.
“Fine.” Sweet Pea said in a defeated tone. He managed to stand up and wobble towards Jughead who stepped out of his way. “But if she hits me again, I’m blaming you.”
Jughead rolled his eyes, “you deserve anything she throws at you. Now go.” He shooed his brother out and watched him stumble down the hallway towards his fiance’s room.
Once there, he leaned against the door with all his weight, breathing heavily in an attempt to control his nerves. Doing this while intoxicated was much harder than he had thought. He offhandedly thought about going back to his bed and crying himself to sleep. That would be easier than this.
The door suddenly opened and he toppled forward, landing face first onto the carpet. He heard a shuffle of feet and an annoyed huff. “Did you shower in whiskey or something?” Shanna asked, the smell making her want to throw up for the fifth time that day. She was exhausted from the amount of emotion she had felt that day. Too tired to put up a fight as to why Sweet Pea was drunk outside her door.
He mumbled something into the thick carpet that she couldn’t comprehend. “I can’t hear you when your mouth is full of shag.” She said, the bitterness in her tone made him flinch.
Sweet Pea turned his head to the side and took a deep breath, “I came to apologize…”
Shanna resisted the urge to kick him angrily in the side. “Please, just leave.” She said in a soft, defeated voice. “I don’t want to talk to you while you’re drunk.”
He sat up, albeit with a bit of difficulty. “Shanna, listen, I didn’t mean what I said...I was just upset, I don’t want you to get rid of the baby…”
She huffed angrily at him, “You’re so full of shit, Sweet Pea. You’re only here because Jughead ordered you too. I’m not an idiot. Just, go sleep it off or whatever. I don’t want to see you after what you said to me. Not meaning it does not make it okay. I’m not some verbal punching bag for you to take your anger out any time you get upset.”
He looked down at the floor and against his will, more salty tears filled his eyes. She hadn’t seen how awful he looked when she opened the door. She could barely see it now. Snot flooded his nose, causing him to sniffle to keep it from dripping out. The sound made her freeze in her tracks.
“Are you crying…?” She asked, her voice even quieter than before, almost as if she didn’t believe it.
Sweet Pea looked up at her once more, fresh streaks of wetness down his face. “I’m sorry...I’m so sorry, I always fuck everything up. I’m not really a Jones, you know? I’m not royal. It’s not right for the queen to have a baby that’s not royalty. I’m just an abandoned mutt and you deserve better than what I could ever give you.”
Shanna got down on her knees in front of him, reaching out with both hands to cradle her face. “I don’t care about your lineage. I never have. That doesn’t matter to me. Royalty or not. I don’t understand why you think so low of me. How did I possibly make you believe that I wouldn’t want you just because you’re not King Jones’ biological son? You are his son, Sweet Pea. Blood doesn’t always matter.”
She wiped his tears away with her thumbs, her heart heavy from his words. “I love you.” She said for the first time out loud. While Lily and Jughead had no issue saying the three words until their lips turned blue, Shanna and Sweet Pea had not dared to utter them. “I love you and I will always love you. Even if you don’t love me back.”
His heart twisted in its cage. “That’s not...that’s not true.” He said, meaning her last statement. “I do…” He hesitated, the words feeling so foreign in his mind. As if thinking it and saying it would cause the world to crash down around him. “I love you too.” He finally said in a low voice. He silently hoped she didn’t hear him.
The princess leaned in and gently kissed him on the lips. It was tender and chaste, and after a second she pulled away. “Come in and close the door before someone sees you. And please, take a shower before you make me throw up.” She laughed lightly as she stood up. She outstretched her hand and he grabbed it, needing all the help he could get to stand. “Maybe it’ll sober you up a little.”
“Oh, ha ha.” Sweet Pea said flatly before making his way into her bathroom. “Join me?”
Shanna smiled and nodded, following up behind him and walking inside.
|\/\/|
Six days past and the big day had come. The first item on the itinerary was the wedding of Shanna and Forsythe. It would take place promptly at 10 am, following a brief intermission there will be the wedding of Lilian and Nathaniel. Then the reception would follow. It was going to be a very long day.
Prince Forsythe was at the altar in his traditional military uniform. He looked striking, as did Sweet Pea who was wearing a similar outfit next to him. The only difference was he had several more medals pinned to his breast. Adorned on both of their heads were crowns, although Jughead’s was much more elaborate compared to Sweet Pea’s modest one.
One side was filled with the Northside Kingdom’s royal court and what little bit of royal family there was still left. The other housed the Southside Kingdom’s court and family. King and Queen Jones as well as Princess Jellybean. Even the royal hound lovingly named Hotdog was there sitting patiently.
On the third row of the Northiside side, the Mantles sat waiting in quiet. Reggie had his evidence stockpiled against the princesses. He planned on using them to his full advantage. The pictures, the physical evidence he had gathered, it was all for this. All to usurp the Jones family. Hopefully the King would listen to him, although the duke had assured him that King Owens would have no choice but to concede.
The music began and the wedding party slowly walked down the decorated aisle. There was but one bridesmaid and groomsman. The siblings of the bride and groom. They walked down the aisle together, Lily forcing a smile while Sweet Pea had a blank if not annoyed expression on his face.
The guests rose as the music changed to the traditional wedding march. The King appeared at the end, his eldest daughter on his arm as they walked slowly down the aisle. Small gasps at how beautiful the princess looked sounded, happy tears were already starting to be shed.
Sweet Pea could not look away from him. His gut twisted painfully at the thought of the only woman he had ever actually loved marrying his brother. His eyes darted to her still flat stomach before going back up to her face. This wasn’t right but there was nothing he could do about it. His son or daughter would be in Jughead’s care. This seemed like a fresh kind of hell for him. Life had never been terribly easy but now it seemed a million times harder.
Reggie’s hands twitched nervously as he fumbled with the plastic wand in his pocket. It was almost time. Almost… He did not notice Jughead’s gaze landing on him.
The prince held his hand out for his future queen as the royal priest spoke, “who gives this woman away today on the day of her wedding?”
“I do.” The King said with a kind smile, his eyes twinkling. Shanna gently grabbed Jughead’s hand and stepped forward to take her place at his side in front of the altar, facing him.
The priest looked across the crowd. “Should anyone here present know of any reason that this couple should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace.” He stated for tradition sake. Obviously no one in their right mind would object.
All four royal teens tensed at the old line. Lily and Sweet Pea’s eyes were on the marquess as Jughead and Shanna remained staring at one another in an attempt to pretend to be having a good time. Everyone was on edge.
And then, as if on cue, Marquess Mantle stood. “I do, father.” He stated in a booming, arrogant voice. “I have evidence of infidelity. Trickery. And something even more sinister that has happened under the noses of the royal court.”
King Owen’s head shot around to stare at Reggie, his eyes aflame with rage at the interruption. Certainly nothing he had was true. Certainly this was all a trick to stop the wedding. “Marquess.” He said in an authoritative tone, “show me this evidence or you were be excused from this court...permanently.”
“Your highness, some of it may be unsuitable for the eyes of the public. There are young children here.” He added calmly. “However, I will show it to you in private if you do not take my word.” He looked to the bride and drank in the horrified expression on her face. “King Owens. Are you aware of what your daughters have been doing on the days leading up to this ceremony?”
“They’ve been busy planning.” The King said distrustfully. “And spending time with their fiances.”
“That is only half true.” Reggie corrected. “They have been planning, yes. However They have not been spending quality time with their betrothed. Rather, Princess Shanna has been making a bed with Prince Sweet Pea while Princess Lily was having her own affair with Prince Forsythe.”
Shanna thought she was going to faint. Sensing this, Jughead kept a firm grip on her in case she did lose consciousness. Lily’s knees were wobbling so hard that she was visibly shaking. No. No, no, no, this was all wrong!
“And your proof?” The King asked, his face red with fury. There was no way this was true. This was impossible. A fabrication to smear the names of his daughters.
“I have video and photographic evidence.” Reggie replied, his tone cool and smooth. He took out two objects from his pocket and showed them to the king. “As well as these. Taken from the princesses’ personal bathrooms.” In his hand were two positive pregnancy tests.
“Not only are the princesses not virgins but they are pregnant with the other prince’s child. I’m sure a simple medical exam will find this to be true. A DNA test will confirm it once the children are born.” Reggie said, a satisfied smile on his face at his success.
The king’s murderous gaze turned to his two girls, “Tell me. Tell me this is all some cruel joke being played on your old man.” He said, his voice rising, “tell me you did not break your vow to me!”
Before he could continue, King Forsythe Jones the Second stood. “King Owens.” He said, an amused look on his face for what his sons had gotten themselves into. “If I may propose a solution to this predicament?”
The Northside King looked as though he did not want to negotiate any longer. His daughters had betrayed him in the worst way possible. Their kingdom was depending on them and they just threw it all away. He wanted to scream until his lungs gave out, but he held his composure. He took a breath to try and still his raging heart. “What do you have in mind?” He asked finally.
“Since both my sons are of royal blood, and likewise both of your daughters are of royal blood, then what does it matter who marries who? I only ask that my son is king of our united kingdoms.” FP was smiling warmly at his sons and their fiancees. “I am not so set in my ways that I can’t compromise, are you?”
King Owens sent a heated look to his daughters, mainly Lavender who was boldly looking back at him. “Daddy, I never wanted to be queen. Please, let Lily take the throne. She will be a brilliant queen. I will stay on the Southside with Prince Nathaniel to help him with the rural provinces. This is what we both want. Will the kingdom not be happier with two rulers who truly love one another?”
Her gaze turned to Reggie. “The Marquess would have me marry him, daddy, but the truth is. He is the one that took my virginity on my eighteenth birthday to try and steal the crown from you. The only one here deserving of punishment is him. Sneaking into our bathrooms, spying on us, all of this is unacceptable for someone of the royal court.”
Reggie opened his mouth, about to protest when she held her hand up to silence him. In that moment she looked more like a queen than she had in her entire life. “But, do not blame him, daddy. It was his father that put him up to all of this. His father that has thirsted for power although he is already corrupt with greed. If anyone should be harmed on the day of your daughters’ weddings then it should be the Duke.”
Duke Mantle shot up from his seat, “your highness, this is absolutely ridiculous slander against-”
King Jones started to laugh at once and all in attendance stared at him. “What’s wrong, Marty? Are you that eaten up about your bastard son being a prince? Does him potentially becoming king instead of your royal heir that you will do anything to dethrone him? You are such a vile, sad man and I agree with my future daughter-in-law. If anyone here is guilty of wrongdoing, then it is you. King Owens, for his heinous actions against both of our courts, I suggest you strip Duke Mantle of all of his titles and honors. Do with his claimed heir as you will.”
King Owens, flabbergasted with the turn of events stared in shock at King Jones. Was he truly okay with all of this? Was the decision truly his? Shanna’s words rang in his ears painfully. “It is settled.” He said finally, looking back at the bride and groom. “Lillian, you will marry Prince Forsythe who will ascend the throne after me. Shanna, despite your show today of how great of a leader you could be, I will allow you to step down and marry Prince Nathaniel. If this is what the both of you truly want, then so be it.”
His dark and stormy eyes met that of the Duke who had suddenly gone pale. “As for you, I hereby renounce your title as Duke of the Northside. Reginald, you may take your father’s title if you wish but he is to be banished from the kingdom. I will not allow his scheming to continue on my soil.”
Reggie sat down slowly, in utter shock at the King’s decree. He would be duke? Then his father...He’d finally be rid of his father? A grin broke onto his face. “Thank you, your highness for your mercy.”
King Owens nodded curtly. “Shanna, switch places with Lily. Let the wedding commence.”
Happy tears were streaming down Lily’s face. Her waterproof makeup set in place as she joined Jughead at the altar. Without any more objections the two were wed. And then, in place of an entire second wedding, Shanna and Sweet Pea were wed on the spot next after switching places.
No one in the kingdom had seen the dark prince smile as he had that day. It was the dawn of a new era and their happiness would reign.
Tag List: @the-gargoyle-queen, @wayward-river, @redhairdontcare732, @southside-vixen, @iamaunicorn4704, @jezzabelleserpent
Summary: Two blonde princesses, two dark-haired princes, and one plotting marquess. Lily is in love with a secret admirer. Shanna doesn’t want to ascend to the throne. Jughead wants to spend the day writing poetry. Sweet Pea would rather be out on his horse. And Reggie just wants to be king.
<ao3> <masterlist>
Pairing: Sweet Pea x OC, Jughead Jones x OC
Word Count: 5.2k+
Warnings: Mention of blurred lines of consent.
A/N: FINALLY! I know everyone has been waiting so patiently for this and I’m so happy to finally have it out for everyone! I don’t think this part is as good as the previous three but...that’s because it’s mostly filler with a little backstory. This series will be a total of six parts! After that I will release oneshots based in this universe though! Also special thanks to @the-gargoyle-queen for the top and bottom moodboards!
Part Four: Blackmail
A soft groan sounded in the dark bedroom as heavy eyelids fluttered open. The blonde princess looked around in the darkness, disoriented and confused. This sure felt like her bed, but she didn’t remember falling asleep here. She also didn’t recall a warm body lying next to her. Panic raced through her like one of her prized horses as she felt over a hard chest clad in soft material. Who the hell was in her bed?!
The body let out a deep huff of annoyance as she started shoving him to get him away from her. He simply rolled over in protest so that his back was to her before taking in a deep breath and letting it back out.
Shanna reached over and cut on the lamp on her bedside table, the dim light illuminating both her and the stranger. Her eyes went to the dark head of hair that was sticking in every which direction. “Sweet Pea?” She asked, confused as to why he was laying with her. She vaguely remembered falling asleep against him in the stable, however there was still light outside when she ran into him. Had she really slept until sundown?
He didn’t respond to her, still obviously asleep. Had he stayed here the whole time? Didn’t he have work to do for their fathers? Still, it was a little heartwarming to think that he’d taken care of her. She had actually been able to sleep solidly and had felt safe with him nearby.
The heir let out a small, frustrated sigh. Why couldn’t things have worked out the other way around? Where Jughead was the one here with her instead of Sweet Pea. It wasn’t that she had any romantic feelings towards the crown prince but it would have made things a lot easier. For one, whoever was blackmailing her wouldn’t have any leverage over her.
Her eyes caught sight of a thin slip of white paper sitting just under the door frame that led to the hallway. She slipped out of bed carefully as her heart pounded. The muscles in her chest contracted as she picked it up to read it.
Dear Royal Slut, give me the crown or I will tell everyone during the wedding what you’ve done.
She knew then. She knew exactly who it was that had spotted them. Her stomach tightened with the same intensity as her chest. Shanna quickly rushed back over to Sweet Pea’s side, shaking him hard in an attempt to wake him up. She called his name out once more.
An annoyed look crossed the once peaceful prince’s face before his eyes opened to see Shanna’s frantic expression. He sat up in the bed, feeling almost as disoriented as she had when she woke up. “You should be resting,” he chastised her groggily.
“I know who it is. I know who sent it. He sent another.” Shanna said, showing the note to him. Sweet Pea grabbed it to examine the letter. His confused expression turned angry when he read the insult.
“Who is it?” Sweet Pea asked in a voice that sounded with murderous intent. The notion that he needed to protect her at all costs rose within him. She was the future queen of both of their kingdoms. He would not tolerate someone demeaning her like this.
Shanna wasn’t sure if she should tell him or not. What would he do to him? She bit her lip anxiously as he stared at her, waiting for an answer. After a moment of silence he started to get frustrated, “Shanna, tell me.”
She sat down on the bed next to his legs and sighed. “Marquess Mantle.” She whispered. “Something happened…before the alliance…where I might have told him that I could make him king. But then I found out he was just using me to get to the throne so I called it off. He’s been out for blood ever since.”
Sweet Peas gaze softened just a fraction at the sight of her face falling in shame. It wasn’t difficult to figure out that she had been with him previously. Obviously that was why she promised the crown. “He was your first.”
Her eyes filled with tears as she nodded her head. Sleeping with Reggie was something of a mistake. She hadn’t told anyone because she had mixed feelings about it. There was a time when she really cared about him and she thought he cared about her. But then she overheard him with his father, boasting how he’d be king. The thought of being used made her sick to her stomach.
“There’s more to the story, isn’t there?” Sweet Pea asked as he pulled her into his lap. Shanna rested her head against his chest, sighing softly in response. There was a lot more. However, she wasn’t sure if she should elaborate.
Sweet Pea’s hand moved up the back of her camisole to rub along her bare spine. “Shanna, you can tell me.” He prodded, hoping she’d open up to him. Despite how he had acted previously, he did truly care about her. It was odd. He’d never fallen for anyone before. He didn’t think it was even possible for him to feel this way.
Shanna tensed in his strong arms before taking a deep breath to try and reel in her emotions. “Before my eighteenth birthday, Reggie and I had been getting close. Almost courting, though my father would have never allowed us to call it that. There was a huge party for my birthday and he has this tradition of spiking the punch at every ball.”
His hand trailed up her back once more before slowly dragging downwards to soothe her as she sniffled. “So we both drank a lot and I had this wine I’d been saving to share with him. We went into one of the bedrooms to just hang out, or I thought. We were friends and I liked him a lot. He was so nice and sweet to me. He was always making me laugh. I guess the alcohol just went to my head because before I knew it we were kissing and it just snowballed from there…”
Sweet Pea stopped rubbing her back. He almost couldn’t believe what he was hearing. The rage that surged through his head roared in his ears. “He took your virginity when you were drunk?” He asked in a low and serious tone. Shanna suddenly felt like she had done something wrong, like maybe she was right in thinking she shouldn’t have said anything. “He took advantage of you, Shanna-“
Lav quickly cut him off, “it wasn’t like that.” She realized how she worded things made it sound like something worse than it was. “It was consensual. I wanted to do it, or at the time I did. Reggie was just as drunk as I was. Neither of us were thinking straight. I do regret it but only because of what I heard him say the next day.”
The prince settled down a bit, though he was still highly irritated. She was the princess and Reggie was just a marquess. Not that Sweet Pea was one to be hung up on social status seeing as he slept with plenty of women that were considered commoners. He silently admitted to himself that it was a double standard. But that didn’t really make him any less angry. He went back to rubbing her back to let her know that it was okay to continue.
Lav relaxed against him once more. He could hear the tears welling up in her eyes by the sound of her voice. “I overheard him talking to the Duke. He was telling him that he had sealed the deal for the crown. That he would be king. I meant nothing to him. He was just using my title.” Finally she did let out a stifled sob at the memory. “It broke my heart. I don’t understand what I did to deserve that. Why me? Why not someone else. Some other princess in some other kingdom?”
Sweet Pea kissed the top of her shaking head gently. “You didn’t do anything to deserve it, Shanna. It could have happened to any crown princess, he just happened to choose you because his father is the duke. He knew he could get close to you so he took full advantage of that. He manipulated you and that is not your fault.” His voice was soft as he spoke, praying that it wouldn’t portray how thoroughly pissed off he was inside.
She quickly rubbed her eyes to will away any tears that threatened to fall. This was something she hadn’t told anyone, not even Lily. Probably because she felt so guilty for doing it in the first place. Ultimately she still felt that she was the one in the wrong for allowing herself to be swayed by the thought of true romance. Perhaps that’s why things were so easy with Sweet Pea. She had no expectations of him having any kind of actual feelings for her. She was prepared for heartbreak. It lessens the blow.
That didn’t mean that she wasn’t hurting though. Inside her heart she had stuffed down the anxiety of the wedding and the anger of being given away to someone she didn’t love. She feared if the lock on that box ever came loose, then she may explode and finally jump off into the deep end. How was she supposed to run a country if she was going insane?
At least Jughead was a gentleman with no expectations of her. He had not pressured her in the slightest. He had allowed her to make a majority of the wedding decisions, only chiming in to back her up against the vivacious wedding planner. The few things he had a say in were only his attire and ring style, things that directly affected him and not her.
“What are we going to do?” Lav asked softly, wondering what he was thinking at the moment. Sweet Pea was still very much convinced that Reggie had taken full advantage of the situation he put himself into. If he breathed a word of this to the king then the marquess would probably be tortured behind recognition. The only thing stopping him was Shanna’s insistence that it was completely consensual.
Sweet Pea sighed in quiet aggravation, “what we’re not going to do is give him what he wants. Our people need this alliance too much to risk it over some rapist. He would be a terrible king.”
“It wasn’t- Sweet Pea, stop calling it that!” Shanna hissed at him. “I’m going to be a terrible queen anyway so what does it even matter?”
He scoffed at her for two reasons: one for insisting that Reggie wasn’t in the wrong for taking her virginity and two for saying that she’d be a bad queen. He had no reason to believe that she couldn’t do it. Despite how dramatic she was, Shanna had an ounce of charisma that made people like her. It was hard to not be drawn in.
Not that he’d ever tell that to her or anyone else.
“You just stay here, I need to sort this out.” Sweet Pea said, removing her from his lap so he could finally get off the bed. She looked hurt, suddenly feeling cold in the dimly lit room.
“It’s the middle of the night,” Shanna commented, glancing out at the night sky, “everyone is probably asleep. Can’t it wait?”
He shot her a look that told her that no, it couldn’t wait. She sighed in defeat, sinking back against the plush pillows laying against her headboard. “Fine. Go on.”
Before his brain could tell him not to, he kissed the top of her head before quickly leaving. The princess couldn’t help but smile.
Shanna settled down further into the bed and let out a contented sigh. Sweet Pea withheld his own smile as he walked out, gently closing the door behind him. He immediately went next door to Lily’s room and started banging on the door.
Inside the dark room, Lily woke with a start at the sound. Her heart began to race, wondering who could possibly be trying to come in at this hour. Even worse Jughead was naked in bed next to her. If anyone found out, anyone, then the whole thing could be undone.
She shook the heavily sleeping prince awake. Jughead let out a groan in response before stirring. He heard the knocks and knew them all too well. “It’s my brother,” He breathed out, “what does he want at three in the morning?”
Lily scoffed in annoyance at Jughead, how could he be so sure? “You should hide in case it isn’t while I get dressed.” She slid out of bed and threw on a nightgown, not bothering with undergarments because surely whatever this person needed wouldn’t be much.
For good measure, she threw her fluffy robe on over the gown. Before the opened the shaking door, she turned on a light making Jughead groan yet again in displeasure. She shot him a look before cracking open the door.
And sure enough Sweet Pea was on the other side, looking angrier than ever. Did he have another argument with his sister? “What the hell do you want at this hour, you horrible troll?!” She snapped in a low whisper.
Sweet Pea pushed his way inside and noticed his unclothed brother in Lily’s bed. An eyebrow lifted as he looked between the two of them. Suddenly Lily’s face was hot and a bead of sweat formed on her brow. “Now listen-“
“It’s about time.” Sweet Pea said, “I thought you’d die a virgin, Jughead.”
Jughead just flipped his middle finger up in response. Lily was bright red from head to toe, her heart dropping to her stomach. At least her husband to be didn’t mind her infidelity, though Jughead had reassured her that he wouldn’t. “Why are you here?” She asked again, becoming more and more aggravated.
“I know who deflowered your sister,” Sweet Pea said, “and I don’t think it was consensual."
Lily paled then, the red draining from her face, “w-what?” She asked, fear blossoming in her chest that someone had hurt her sister in such a way. “Who?! I’ll kill him, castrate him, anything, just tell me!”
“Reginald Mantle.” The dark prince answered, “She is convinced that she consented but I don’t think she did. I think he got her drunk on purpose to take advantage of her, that slimy piece of shit. Next time I see him I’m going to punch him so hard that his nasal bone is going to impale his brain.”
Jughead sat up then, feeling how grave this situation was. “Tell us exactly what happened, Sweet Pea. Why does she not think it was rape when you do?”
“It was her birthday. He spiked the punch like he always does at they got drunk. They went to a bedroom where she had a bottle of wine hidden and they drank more. Eventually it led to sex. She overheard him telling his father that he’d sealed the deal for the crown.” Sweet Pea said, become more and more frantic with his words.
Lily looked at him flatly, “Sweet Pea, that wasn’t rape. That was consensual drunk sex. If my sister says she consented to it, then she did. You’re just upset that she slept with him of all people. Because you’re right, he is a piece of shit. And maybe he’s not totally innocent in all this but it doesn’t sound like he meant for anything to happen and that it just did.”
But, the prince would not listen to this voice of reason. He huffed, puffing out his cheeks and chest. “He’s blackmailing her now, calling her a slut, and saying that if he isn’t made king that he’ll tell everyone what she’s done…who she’s done. He caught us in the stable the other day…”
Jughead and Lily were both silent for the longest time. The only sound in the room was the ticking of a clock and the sound Sweet Pea’s clothes made when he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. The seriousness of the situation fell onto all three of them. If word got out that the future queen slept with the wrong prince then…things would not fare well for any of them. Worst of all, both of their kingdoms would suffer greatly.
“Is this why she’s been so sick lately?” Lily finally asked in a small and concerned voice, “Because he’s been harassing her?” She still did not believe what Reggie did was assault, rather the dealing of a teenage boy.
Sweet Pea nodded, “yes. He keeps sending her threatening notes and when she sleeps she keeps having nightmares. When she woke up just now there was another one under the door. This can’t happen. He can’t be king and no one can know what happened between any of us.”
“You’re right.” Jughead said with a soft exhale. “We’ll figure it out. Find some way to appease Reggie. Tomorrow after the wedding planning session we can talk more and come up with a plan. But right now, we all need some sleep. Especially Shanna, so go back over there and help her feel safe.”
“But-“ Sweet Pea tried to protest but Jughead lifted his hand to him stubbornly to silence him. Pea just scoffed in response to his older brother, unable to say anything against such a motion. He opened his mouth to say something else but quickly shut it. He shook his head before walking out and back into Shanna’s room as he was ordered.
Jug settled back down onto the bed and a heavy sigh. Lily got back into bed after taking off her robe, leaving on her nightgown. She smiled softly at him, “I didn’t know you were a virgin too…I thought for sure you had done it before…”
He turned onto his side to face her, brushing his knuckles across her cheek. “I’m not much like my brother. Especially when it comes to treating women. I had never really found the right person to be with and I was never in any rush. You were the perfect one to break that vow with.”
Lily’s smile was nothing but warm and loving, “I love you, my prince.”
“I love you, my princess.”
|\/\/|
The next day Shanna was much livelier during their wedding planning session. Jughead couldn’t help from shooting her relieved smiles as he watched her battle their wedding planner effortlessly. She clearly had put a lot of thought into a wedding she didn’t truly want. It was kind of amusing honestly.
The session lasted two and a half hours. Jughead finally managed to get the two women to stop bickering back and forth long enough to proclaim that they should stop for the day. A small headache was forming around his temples from all of the arguing. Maybe it was better when Shanna was sick.
No, that’s not true. But, her not dwelling on the impending doom of blackmail was good for her. Jughead had a plan, one he thought was actually pretty solid, and even though Sweet Pea was usually the master strategist between them he was quite pleased with his work.
As soon as the Veronica Lodge had left, he turned to Shanna once more. “We’re to meet with Lily and Sweet Pea now, to discuss what we’re going to do about Reggie.”
Her once bright expression quickly fell. “Oh…” She mumbled under her breath. Her feelings of fear and despair quickly resurfacing. “All of us?”
“Yes,” Jughead replied as he stood. He held a hand to her to help her up. “Come, we’ll do it over tea. It’s about time for that, isn’t it?”
Shanna snorted back a laugh as she looked at the clock, “you’re about an hour late, Forsythe, but I think we can manage something.”
Unbeknownst to her, Jughead had set up an elaborate tea party in one of the many meeting rooms. Tiny finger sandwiches, little pastries and sweets, and kettles hot with water along with over a dozen loose leaf options to choose from. He had done it for the girls mostly. Sweet Pea wasn’t a huge tea fan. The proportions of the food was way too small for his tastes.
When he led her into the room, he noticed her frown shift back in an appreciative smile. Perhaps marrying him wouldn’t be all bad if he could set up something like this to surprise her. Too bad Jughead will never care about you, Sweet Pea’s voice echoed in her mind savagely. She frowned again, her smile gone almost the instant after it had fully formed.
Jughead didn’t notice it fall as he was distracted by Lily coming down the hall with Sweet Pea grumbling in tow. Jug grinned at them, shifting his stance to be more welcoming as his fiancée slipped into the room quietly.
Shanna sat down at the table and chose a Yunnan white tea and began to spoon the leaves into the silver strainer before closing it and popping it into her cup. She poured the hot water from the kettle into it to let it steep properly.
As she was doing this the other three sat down. Sweet Pea and Lily were at either of her sides, and Jughead was across from her. “You did all this, Jug?” Lily asked, Shanna barely heard her due to how deep in thought she was.
“I did. I thought you two might enjoy it. Sweet Pea loathes this sort of thing.” Jughead said as he picked out a simple Earl Grey. He leafed the mix into his strainer before adding water to his cup and plopping it in. “I thought it would be nice to have some tea while I tell you all my plan.”
Sweet Pea looked through the blends and saw a blood orange cinnamon tea he figured he could try. Despite tea being perhaps the least manliest thing in the planet, deep down he did enjoy it. Ever the front he put up lest his fragile masculinity crumble. He prepared his tea impatiently, waiting to hear what Jughead had to propose.
Lily chose a delicate lavender buttercream tea she had been dying to try. Once prepared she added a few cubes of sugar and a splash of cream. When she stirred she made sure not to hit the sides of the cup with her spoon.
Shanna was staring into the brown liquid of her teacup, steam swirling over top of it. Normally she added eight sugars but this time she just watched the cup as if some revelation would come over her. Of course, nothing did.
Her lover, not to be confused with her betrothed, reached under the table and patted her leg in an attempt to comfort her. Unlike her sister who was making bedroom eyes at Jughead, Sweet Pea noticed that Shanna was being unusually demure.
“Alright, spit it out.” Sweet Pea said, annoyed that he could tend to the much more important matter of strategizing for the impending war. He had troops to train, men to bring up to the North. He lost so much time last night that he desperately needed to make up.
Jughead took a sip of his tea, having added neither sugar nor creamer to it. “What proof does Reggie have of any of this? Did he say? Is there any evidence of either time you had sex, princess?”
Shanna was barely listening still. She only looked up from her cup to answer after Lily kicked her lightly in the shin. “None that I’m aware of.” She muttered finally.
“That’s what I thought.” Jughead said, an eager smile spreading across his face. “All the king has is his word against the four of ours. Who is he more apt to believe?”
She bit her lip nervously as Lily’s lit up with excitement. “So we just deny it all?” The younger princess asked in order to clarify exactly what the crown prince was suggesting.
He nodded in agreement, “King Owens is going to believe his daughters over some marquess that he doesn’t even care for to begin with. He might even strip the duke of his title if he gets angry enough over the accusation. How does that sound, Shanna?”
There was a heavy silence between the four of them. All eyes were on the crown princess, waiting on her to decree this plan to be the best suited. She had her doubts. What if Reggie did have some kind of evidence that she didn’t know about?
Finally she spoke, her voice showing her uncertainty, “that sounds fine.”
The other three frowned, “What is the matter?” Jughead asked finally. Shanna looked away from her fiance and back down at her tea.
“There is a lot at stake here.” She replied, “and it all relies on Reggie not having any evidence of my...unfaithfulness to my duty.” She hated that word: unfaithful. It left a foul and bitter taste in her mouth much like an improperly steeped, unsweetened tea.
Lily reached over and placed one of her small hands on top of her sister’s in an attempt to reassure her that everything was going to be alright. “Lavie, it’ll be okay. Even if he does have evidence, we’ll tell daddy that he doctored it to smudge your name. He only has power if we give it to him.”
Shanna looked to her sister and smiled softly. She supposed she was right in her last statement. If they all actively ignored Reggie, then he was sure to shrivel up from lack of attention and realize that his plan was never going to work. Ultimately though, the old heartache of what he’d done to her had her feeling like her heart was in a million pieces that would never fit back together properly. It was a terribly depressing thought.
Sweet Pea took a gulp of his tea and made a disgusted face. It was, of course, totally false and he actually quite enjoyed the citrusy flavor. “Why can’t we have coffee?” He asked, “Tea is disgusting.”
Jughead rolled his eyes at his brother, “because tea is better at this time of day.” He replied, wondering why Sweet Pea even made a cup if he was just going to complain. The Southside prince that wasn’t quite a Jones began to stuff finger sandwiches into his mouth unceremoniously.
The princesses both stared at him with disgust as Jug held back an amused laugh at the looks on their faces. How many cucumber sandwiches could one man fit into his mouth?
Half a tea stand to be exact. He seemed to swallow it whole in one giant gulp. Shanna’s look turned to that of amazement as she absentmindedly added sugar to her tea. Eight lumps, just as the doctor ordered.
Meanwhile Lily looked horrified at Sweet Pea’s manners or lack thereof. Jughead was totally used to it and was claiming a triangle sandwich for himself before his brother ate them all. “Why do I have to marry the troll again?” She asked the other two.
Shanna snorted, knowing fully well that if either of them had any say then it would be her marrying the troll. “Because you’re the youngest.” Jughead replied in a sad tone. “Fate demands our royal families be star crossed.”
Sweet Pea held back a burp, feeling attacked all of a sudden by Lily. “I have to marry the shortest girl in the kingdom, where is my pity party?” At once he felt two swift kicks to his both his shins, one from each girl at the table. He let out a groan of pain.
“I’m only an inch taller than her, jackass.” Lav spat at him as she drank some of her tea. An inch didn’t make much of a difference to someone as tall as Sweet Pea, and she totally knew that. After all, he called her dwarf all the time. Insensitive jerk.
His response was to roll his eyes at her, swallowing down the last of his tea before standing up. “I have to go, I have too much work to do to play tea time with you three.” He didn’t even bother to push his chair back under the table as he stalked out.
Lily huffed as he left, “what a brute.” She said before giving a pair of innocent eyes to Jughead. “Do you have work to do too?”
Jughead tapped the edge of his saucer. “I believe I have some free time. Shanna, would you like to join us?”
Shanna turned her nose up at him, “I don’t know what kind of girl you think I am, Jughead Jones, but I’m not having a threesome with my sister.” She stood up and left, not bothering to finish her drink or eat any of the colorful petit fours.
Lily turned a dozen different shades of pink as Jughead laughed. He hadn’t meant it in a sexual way but the thought was amusing enough. A few rogue fantasies quickly played out in his head before he felt his arm being pinched.
“Get your mind out of whatever disgusting gutter its lying in.” Lily said with a pout.
He smiled at her before grabbing her hand with his and kissing the back of it gently. “My mind doesn’t even know what a gutter looks like, Lillian.” He said with a bat of his dark eyelashes. Lily couldn’t help but giggle.
|\/\/|
One Month Later
Reggie sat in his father’s study anxiously awaiting the duke to arrive. He hadn’t heard a peep from the princess and was beginning to worry that his plan wouldn’t work. But it had to work, he had no choice. If it didn’t, then he had no idea what his father might do to him.
The Duke arrived looking sordid as ever. He sat down behind his large wooden desk, dark eyes silently prodding his son for a report. The unasked question to the marquess as to how his plans for the crown were going.
“I have the princess where I want her,” Reggie replied to his father in hopes that it would be enough to pacify him. “I am meeting with her soon to discuss the trade off. She always goes to the stable after sundown to brush down her horses. I’ll confront her there. She has no choice but to make me king.”
The older man stared down at his son, not totally convinced but also not completely displeased either. “The wedding is only a week away, Reggie. You are running out of time.”
“She can’t refuse me any longer.” Reggie said, straining to keep the desperation out of his voice. He took out a photo and slid them over. The duke picked them up and eyed them.
“Are you sure this is hers?” He asked, skeptical.
He nodded before producing an almost identical photo to pair with it. “And this is the younger sister. I have more to back this, but I just thought photos would suffice for our meeting tonight.”
Duke Mantle took out a cigar, cut it, and lit it. He took a long puff, a wicked grin spreading across his face. “You did well, my son. After Owens sees this, he will have no choice but to make you king.”
Lughead and Swavie married headcanons in Crowned!!!!
I had this halfway done and accidentally deleted it. Fml.
Lughead
Even while married Jug leaves lots of hidden notes for Lily.
Every note is accompanied with a unique flower that reminds him of her.
Lily treasures every word and keep them all in a scrapbook along with the pressed flowers.
Jug is also super protective of his pregnant wife.
He doesn't like her going off by herself at all and insists on joining her.
They do most of their work together. Event planning, social services planning, treaties, and even going over Pea's latest military strategies together.
Lily becomes a very confident and during queen. Jughead is a patient and kind ruler, if not ruthless when he feels threatened.
They have sex quite a bit. Usually in private places but every now and then they take it to Pea's war table to piss him off.
A couple that rules together stays together.
Swavie
Lav depends a lot of attention... always.
Sweet Pea often doesn't have time to give her said attention, being wrapped up in the upcoming war.
Lav does things to purposely piss him off. Like stealing figures off his war table or misplacing his favorite coffee cup.
He usually realizes pretty fast what she's doing and they argue.
Which usually lead to public fucking.
They race horses often to settle a score. Pea usually wins but not always.
When he DOES lose, he has to spend the day with her with no complaints.
He dominates her any chance he gets and she loves it.
He also will not let Lav leave the castle while pregnant. She can only leave when he's by her side.
There's not much romantics between them. Sweet Pea is terrible at it but Lav doesn't care.
Crowned headcanon: a day in the life of Jughead - King of Riverdale
King Juggie 🤴
He begrudgingly wakes up at the ass crack of dawn and is super grumpy because he hates mornings.
Heavy breakfast because his royal highness can EAT.
Lots of black coffee because he's edgy af.
TIME TO GET TO WORK.
He reviews Pea's progress notes on the army training. Also any new strategies he's come up with.
(More coffee)
He goes over social programs that have been suggested to him. Getting food and supplies to the Southside. Trying to make sure everyone in Riverdale is fed, clothed, and has shelter.
He has lunch with Lily. Another big meal.
C o f f E e
Somehow he finds time to write Lily love notes and find flowers for her.
Some event planning then FAMILY TIME.
Finally he relaxes with Lily and their child. He's usually writing or reading by a fire.
Okay maybe he works a little more on some royal decrees.
Then finally bed with the queen after a nice dinner.
