Love the idea that Ser Arlan was also an omega and thought that offense is 5ge best defense. Arlan snarled and postured at every alpha that dared look at him crosswise. Drew steel on every idiot that tried yo push up on him or the omegas in his company. Cause i also think that Arlan was still majorly into bedding people, other omegas specifically.
So Dunk learned through observation that the way to deal with idiot alphas is t tolerate no idiocy. Every sneer gets a snarl, every leer gets bared fangs, alphas pushing into his space get escorted rapidly back out of it. Total 180 for other omegas. Dunk is so sweet and helpful and kind and knightly to other omegas, but alphas, in the wise words of Ser Arlan, can fix their own damn problems.
Especially because for my version of an omegaverse AU Maekar & Raymun (& maybe valarr, not sure yet) r also omegas
So he'd be sweet as pie to them. Chivalrous & adoring. Also, Arlan never shied away from his attraction to omegas, so Dunk is more comfortable being affectionate with & romantic gestures for his omega soulmates.
Maekar is used to people deciding because he's a warrior & an omega to choose one and treat him as that. He's used to only being allowed alpha lovers because other omegas shy away from him or treat him as the alpha of the relationship. So Dunk, a tall knightly omega who admires his strength as a warrior but also cares for him as if he's precious is so different for Maekar. This time, Dunk would have heard of Baelor's honour but mostly been raised with the stories of the warrior omega prince of Redgrass. So there's hero worship there Maekar hasn't experienced before.
Lyonel is taken aback when he unexpectedly pats Dunk's thigh & has to jump away to avoid the omega's fangs. (Lyonel ends up treasuring the dozen or so bite marks he has from Dunk over the years)
He admires Baelor but has less patience for being talked down to. He doesn't necessarily hate alphas, but he's seen more than most the privileges they are given, the ways they use that privilege & to be cautious. Especially because he presented while still in flea bottom. So he won't hesitate to snarl at Baelor if he insults the pups or is condescending to him.
Baelor himself adores Dunk & is very annoyed his much more aggressive brother is getting doted on by their soulmate while he has to very slowly court Dunk to even get a hug. Barlor is still a good person but he has spent years being a bit oblivious to the usual ways that being an alpha makes people favor him, and the extra effort Maekar has to put in.
Lyonel, Daeron & Baelor go for weekly drinks over this, as the alphas of the group. Lyonel & Baelor kinda end up begrudging best friends in this one. Baelor hopes (in vain) that Dunk will warm to alphas if Egg or Aemon presents as one. When Maekar & Dunk's shared pups also presents as an omega & beta respectively, all hope in that direction is lost.
The story from the outset is different because when Dunk sees Alpha Steffon beating his omega cousin - Dunk's protective instincts go into overdrive & he takes Steffon up on his duel, beating the shit outta of him. This furious defence earns Dunk the respect of a lot of the local omegas & Raymun joins Egg is traipsing around after Dunk.
Egg decides right there & then that this omega knight should be his new stepfather. In this version, no one would take a pup from a grieving omega, so Maekar got to keep Aemon. While Dunk is speaking to Baelor & Maekar about entering the lists, Egg sneaks in to chat to Aemon and they plot to get Maekar & Dunk together.
By Aemon also disappearing & shaving his head. It's not exactly a good plan.
Dunk goes back to his camp to find 2 bald pups. He thinks Egg reproduced by mitosis/cloned himself tbh. He spends the tourney suspecting Egg & Mon r weird creatures from myth who've latched onto him. But they're pups & Mon is better behaved than Egg so Dunk takes care of them both.
Maeker is tearing his hair out by this point, he brought 4 of his brood to this stupid Tourney & 3 r missing!
While searching the market for Aemon, he happens upon the omega from earlier, who complimented maekar with stars in his eyes. Dunk agrees to help search for Maekar's most recent wayward pup & they end up kinda going on a date? With Egg & Aemon in the background.
Dunk obviously wanted to help, he has 2 pup squires of his own, who despite not having known them long, he already knows if anything happened to them he'd rip the entirety of Ashford apart to reach them. He says as much, which for some reason flusters Maekar.
Maekar is very much falling for this big caring omega, who is also a knight, who cares for pups who aren't his own biologically. And maybe a sneaking part of Maekar hopes Dunk would come to love his pups just as much, when he finds them.
Their kinda date ends when a kingaguard tells Maekar they've found a lead on Daeron. Before Maekar leaves, tho he gives Dunk his favour.
So Dunk rides in the tilts (Aerion was locked up by Baelor the night Maekar left, Baelor didn't want to risk misplacing a fourth nephew in a single week) with his 2 little bald squires - who r practising their creepy twin routine for fun on random alphas. He does challenge Ashford's son, mainly cos that's an alpha and he needs the winnings to feed his new pups & get a courting gift for the omega prince he likes.
Baelor chokes on his drink when he sees the omega hedge knight with his brother's favour.
That evening, it's Valarr who meets Dunk in the puppeteer tent. He finds himself enamoured by this tall, honourable knight. (The next day Valarr brings Dunk some pastries he made)
That night Maekar gets back with Daeron, who is very surprised that Aemon too has disappeared. So his lie doesn't go over particularly well with his father who has already met the omega he's describing several times.
Maekar gets to see Dunk again, this time giving the knight his seal & ring to wear as favours instead of the previous more hasty strip of tunic covered in his scent. (Dunk still loves the tunic & leaves the encounters with a spare shirt of Maekars as well)
& he has lunch with Valarr who recognises Aemon & Egg but promises not to tell anyone.
Aerion sneaks out & attacks the puppeteers. Here is where im torn between alpha & beta for Aerion. Because Alpha Aerion attacking the puppeteers then being revealed to have terrorised the pups Dunk cares for would make Dunk way more aggressive to alphas. Especially when he finds out alpha Daeron also lied about him taking Egg. But in any other omegaverse AU I write Aerion will be a beta who believes he's secretly an alpha
Dunk actually gets a few more hits in on Aerion in this version
There's no trial of seven but there is a wedding between Dunk & Maekar. And Dunk gets to snarl at all the alphas he wants to now & lavish attention on his omega husband, a (beta or omega) boyfriend (Valarr), 2 betrothed (Red & Raymun) & gets two sweet pups as his own.
Now Baelor, Lyonel, & Daeron have to spend the next few months desperately trying to court an omega who's predisposed to disliking them.
