Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The wedding is an annoyingly extravagant thing.

A seven tier, blindingly white wedding cake, a four course feast and ballroom dancing well into the evening and lingering nobles long after the ceremony.

Phil keeps shooting him these sappy looks that Techno can't stand and he can't keep track of all the nobles and social elites that come up to talk to him during the night.

Techno is tired and really no longer wants to be the center of attention.

Wilbur approaches them halfway through the evening. "May I steal your husband for a moment? " he asks, a condescending sweetness to his voice, that Techno knows is meant only for the Dutchess, his wive.

The Dutchess bows politely and Techno let's himself get whisked away by Wilbur.

"So?" Wilbur says, wiggling his eyebrows.

"What's the lovely Dutchess like?" now, his voice is completely free of condescension and filled purely with playfulness.

The Dutchess Eret of Essempi has been nothing but polite and perfect through out the festivities.

She seems to have an endless supply of patience for chattering nobles and senseless pleasantries.

They've not had a single private moment since meeting this midday and haven't exchanged more words with each other than the vows.

Techno shrugs. "Fine."

Wilbur does that eyebrow thing again and smirks in a way that makes Techno want to smack him on the head, but that's not appropriate in public, so he doesn't.

From the corner of his eye he catches the Dutchess laughing politely at something an Antarctic noble said to her.

"Well, I guess you'll get to know each other more in the next few days." Wilbur says and winks.

Techno rolls his eyes. The consummation of the marriage was his smallest worry right now, first he needs to survive the rest of the evening without saying something unfitting in front of such high guests.

The evening does end before he can embarrass himself, but also before he catches a chance to speak with Phil.

The Dutchess smiles and politely sees off the last few mildly drunk nobles, who will undoubtedly get progressively more drunk on their carriage rides back to their respective estates.

Then she excuses herself and vanishes, probably to get dressed in something more appropriate for the night.

Techno makes sure the clean up is set well in motion, all servants seem to be well instructed, so he takes his leave as well.

He doesn't remember the walk from the ballroom to the private chambers to be this long, but apparently it is.

The Dutchess and her maids have taken up the large on suite bathroom.

He can hear the idle chatter of the Dutchess' handmaids inside and for the second he indulges himself to listen in, he catches only praises.

"The ceremony was beautiful, my lady."

"I bet the Viscountess was fuming with jealousy."

"You looked perfect, my lady."

Techno nods to himself satisfied and continues down the hallway to the next closest grand bathroom.

One of the servants must've already drawn him a bath, because the smell of soapy warm water floods into the hallway as he enters.

Techno does quick work of his clothes and slips into the warm embrace of the filled bathtub.

He's immensely gald to be completely alone for the first time since the morning, he can't imagine what I'd be like to be surrounded by five or so gossiping servants right now.

In that regard he is not jealous of the Dutchess, not in the slightest.

He does eventually leave the bathtub, but only when the water has turned cold and only begrudgingly.

His night robes have also been prepared for him, so after drying off, giving extra attention to his long hair, he slips into the comfortable robes.

The walk to his, well their, bedroom is torturous. Techno just hopes that the Dutchess is already asleep so they can put off the whole actually talking to each other until tomorrow, when he'll hopefully have more than half a brain for social things again.

She isn't, which is just his luck.

She's standing barefoot on the carpet in front of the main window, looking outside. She turns around when she hears him enter.

The Dutchess is dressed in a simple night chemise, in stark contrast to the extremely extravagant wedding gown she wore during the day.

A dress that probably was worth more than what a peasant would earn in twenty lifetimes.

Her chestnut hair is no longer in an intricate updo, that Techno couldn't even begin to understand how it withstood gravity, and is hanging in loose curls down to her mid back.

She moves and Techno comes to the terrified realization she's curtsying and even as the Dutchess rights herself again her head is still bowed.

And sure, he's technically of higher rank than her as the Lord General of the Antarctic Empire and they don't really know each other yet, but they are married and Techno will not have his wife bowing to him, ever.

When he opens his mouth to address this, a new wave of suffocating exhaustion washes over him, so he shuts his mouth again.

They can have that conversation tomorrow.

He moves towards the bed and so does the Dutchess, but where as he settles down onto the soft mattress, she waits at the foot end of the bed.

Obedient, quiet, waiting.

"Please." he says, inviting her into the bed, unsure if she's looking for permission to encroach on his personal space.

As she lays down with a respectable distance to him, he can hear her heart hammering in her chest.

She's scared. He suddenly notices and immediately chastises himself for not noticing sooner.

The Dutchess doesn't move and after Techno also doesn't make a move for a good five minutes or so, she speaks up, for the first time since they're alone.

"How do you want me, Lord General." she asks, voice small, but steady. Despite her severely increased heart rate, she does a very good job at not sounding panicked.

Right. The whole consummating the marriage thing. That had maybe, totally slipped his mind.

"Uuuh, I don't know. You don't seem fully comfortable, I don't want to force anything, I mean we just met and we don't have to..." Techno trails off, realizing he's rambling.

"Oh." she makes a small sound.

"Have I done something to offend you?" she adds after a short pause.

Techno has to admit, he's not the best at reading people, but the Dutchess sounds like she's genuinely hurt or worried maybe.

"No, no." he tries to reassure her, hoping his usually monotone voice doesn't become his downfall right now.

"I just want to know you, before anything happens." he tries to explain.

She doesn't really seem convinced when she speaks again. "Of course, Lord General. Good night."

"Good night, Dutchess" he ads the title hastily, because she seems to be insisting on them using titles.

He can read more into that in the morning, right now he really needs to fall asleep.

And what if he hears the Dutchess softly sobbing into the pillow on her side of the bed? That's all a matter for tomorrow.

Chapter Text

Breakfast with the Dutchess is a quiet affair.

The Dutchess doesn't talk without being addressed and bows her head when he is around. At least she has stopped the actual courtesying unpromted, so Techno does count that as a win.

Techno is trying his best to give the Dutchess space and time to settle in, though her formal and overly polite attitude really makes Techno want to talk about last night.

He knows he did nothing wrong, at least not in refusing her, but he still feels the need to apologize.

The crow arrives at noon.

Techno is on his way to the stables to go check on his favorite horses, totally not in a desperate attempt to avoid the Dutchess, when he sees the crow circling in front of his study window.

He let out a sharp whistle, snapping the crows attention towards him on the ground.

She has a small piece of paper attached to her leg, that Techno easily unties right after she lands on his shoulder.

Techno chuckles to himself, unrolling the paper.

He wonders wether it was Phil writing to him in soft encouragement, Wilbur, no doubt teasing about the wedding night or Tommy complaining once again that he wasn't invited to the wedding.

It's none of those things.

It's five words that shake Techno to his core.

"She is ill. Come quick."

Techno turns on his heel and sprints up the short staircase back to the estates entrance, the crow and horses forgotten.

Kristen was ill and if Phil was worried enough to summon him this informally, something must be really wrong.

He corners the first servant he sees. "Make sure a carriage is prepared and my necessities are packt. I'll travel to the palace as soon as possible."

This is all a lot to command an unsuspecting servant boy to, who usually only runs around carrying small messages. Nonetheless the boy nods rapidly.

"Where is the Dutchess?" Techno asks.

The boy, not expecting to get asked more than yes or no question fumbles with his words for a bit before squeaking out "In the tea room, your lordship."

Satisfied, Techno leaves the panicked boy behind and walks briskly to the tea room.

He doesn't know when the last time was that he actually spend time in this particular room. He had been thinking about getting it remodeled into another study, but that isn't an option anymore now that the Dutchess is enjoying it.

She is indeed there, perched on a sofa, delicate porcelain tea cup in hand, listening to Niki, her Lady in waiting, talk about something.

They both stand up as he enters, the Lady Niki curtsys and the Dutchess bows her head.

"The Empress is ill." he states, not bothering with a greeting.

The Dutchess and her Lady exchange a quick glance, both probably unsure of what this means for the Dutchess.

"There's a carriage being prepared, I'll travel to the imperial palace as soon as it's ready."

The two share another glance, before the Dutchess speaks. "I feel as though it'd be my duty to accompany you, Lord General."

"As you wish." Techno responds quickly, there's no time to dwell on how unsure the Dutchess sounded and on whether her joining him is necessary. He had to get moving.

"I'll inform the maids." the Lady Niki says quickly, she seems to get the urgency of the situation.

"Thank you." the Dutchess calls after her softly as the Lady leaves to get things organized.

"This will be just a quick trip, I assure you Dutchess." Techno rumbles softly, hopefully taking away some of her worries.

Niki returns before the Dutchess can respond and then the two of them are off, stuffed into the fastest carriage that could be found on the estate, with the swiftest horses.

The ride to the imperial palace takes about four hours at a relaxed pace. The coachman however is a madman. They make it in two hours.

It's still too late.

The guards at the gate usher them inside, a stable boy takes away the utterly exhausted horses.

It's all happening too fast.

Techno can feel that something is wrong.

The Dutchess is always just a step behind him, comforting him with her soft presence.

They get lead to the private imperial chambers. In front of what is obviously Phil and Kristen's bedroom, stands Ponk, the head doctor of the palace.

There's only one reason for Ponk to not be inside that room. One.

For a second Techno can't speak, can't move, can't think.

She's dead. He's too late.

Lovely, wonderful, kind but firm Kristen was gone forever.

Ponk is staring into nothingness at the other end of the hallway, where Techno knows Tommy's room is.

He feels a soft hand grasp his shoulder. He almost startles, not expecting the Dutchess to initiate any form of physical contact.

"Be strong." she tells him, quiet enough that it only reaches his ears. "The Empire and the imperial family need you."

That finally gets Techno out of his frozen state. It's not a soft easing back into reality, it's a cold sharp slap in the face. Exactly what Techno needed.

"What happened? I need to know everything." he demands.

That seems to wake Ponk from his inaction, who begins his report. "This morning the Empress was fine. Everything was fine. Then somewhere around midday she started having mysterious pains in her lungs."

Techno can feel the Dutchess freeze next to him, her hand still clasped on his shoulder.

"It took an hour until we knew what was going on and by that point she was already dieing."

"Wither sickness." Techno breathes out. It's a rare disease in the Empire, though still highly dangerous and almost always deadly.

"There was nothing we could do. I-" Ponk continues.

The Dutchess squeezes Techno's shoulder. Right, he needs to focus and get done what needs to be done, then there will be time for mourning.

"Where is the rest of the Imperial Family?" Techno demands to know.

"His Majesty the Emperor has not left the bedside of the Empress. Crown Prince Wilbur is already preparing for a council meeting and the Prince Thomas has locked himself in his room in anger." Ponk explains and leans back heavily against the wall.

Techno can tell the doctor overworked himself and how exhaustion must be clinging to his bones.

"You did all you could. Rest now. We will need you again tomorrow, fully awake." Techno points out.

Ponk doesn't even seem to have energy left to argue, he just walks towards the grand doors keeping the private imperial chambers cut off from the rest of the palace. He's leaning heavily into the wall for support.

Techno knows he made the right decision. A tired doctor, was one that made mistakes and they can't afford anymore going forward.

Techno considers his options for a moment.

Phil is most likely falling apart in there, needing as much support as he can get after loosing his dear wife.

Tommy is mourning too, just in his usual Tommy way, that included a lot of yelling and being angry at everything.

Wilbur will work himself to death if nobody stops him. Techno knows how Wilbur can get when he throws himself into work to avoid his feelings.

Techno turns to the Dutchess. "I'll talk with Wilbut first, he's the one keeping this entire Empire together at the moment."

She nods, but as he turns to walk towards Wilbur's private study, she follows on his heel.

Techno really doesn't have time or the energy to think about this complete change in character in the Dutchess. So for now he chooses to ignore it.

Wilbur is slunped over a mountain of paperwork in his study. The Prince startles upright when Techno enters, the Dutchess in tow.

"What? You're here? Why wasn't I told?" Wilbur stands, pushing his chair back with too much force. It toppels over and lands on the marble floor with a loud bang.

"I'm here." Techno says, though it sounds vaguely redundant in his own mind, it does seem to get Wilbur somewhat more calm.

"I'll help you now. What are you working on?" Techno leans over the desk to get a look at the papers Wilbur had been reviewing.

Wilbur picks his chair back up. "Wither sickness." he responds. "It acted so fast, faster than it should have. Something is going on and I'm going to get to the bottom of it"

"We don't have much information to go off of, but-" Wilbur continues.

The Dutchess coughs softly, to get their attention.

Wilbur, who seems to only now notice her presence, turns his head so fast towards her, that Techno is surprised that he doesn't get whiplash.

"I know a doctor specializing in Wither sickness." the Dutchess says. "If you agree, he'll be here by morning."

"We can't risk the news getting out to the public before we're ready." Wilbur dismisses the suggestion immediately.

To Techno's surprise, the Dutchess remains unfazed. "I know him well and I can assure you, your highness, he knows how to handle delicate situations with discretion."

Wilbur let's himself fall back into the chair. He waves his hand dismissively.

"Wil." Techno says warningly. He doesn't like that Wilbur dismisses the Dutchess' ideas without really considering them.

Also, she might be onto something. Wither sickness is much more common in the Greater-Essempi Kingdom, so it's no wonder that they have doctors specializing in it.

"I think this might be a course of action worth considering." He adds.

Wilbur nods, defeated by unspoken facts and logic that he can't deny.

"I'll draft up a letter. May I?" the Dutchess asks gesturing towards the desk.

"Sure." Wilbur says resigned, and pushes paper and quill towards the Dutchess.

She's surprisingly quick in writing the first draft of the letter. It's eloquent and discreet and after a minor change suggested by Wilbur, it's ready to be sent.

"I'll get a messenger called here right away." Techno says.

The crows would be too risky, they don't know if they can trust the Specialist with the knowledge about the handy animals. This also applies to the Dutchess, Techno reluctantly realizes.

"We should all rest for now." Techno decides and before Wilbur can protest, he continues. "The Doctor won't arrive before morning and it's best to be well rested when he does arrive and for whatever it is that he finds out."

"You're right." Wilbur gives in. "I'll have a servant show you to your chambers." he addresses the Dutchess.

The sun hasn't even disappeared behind the horizon, when Techno is done instructing the messenger boy and sees him off.

He joins the Dutchess in their temporary bedroom, luckily she's fast asleep already.

Techno however is restless.

None of this should've happened. Kristen shouldn't be dead. Wilbur must be right, something is definitely amiss.

Sleep does eventually find him, but only well into the night and after hours of pacing around the room.