Chapter Text
Oprah sits on a decorative bench in a sunny courtyard covered in large flowering vines and lush greenery. Behind her, rows of sweet flowerbeds are flowing with color and life. A broad table of reclaimed wood sits in front of her covered in hand-thrown pottery. Flowers and fresh vegetables are proudly displayed on a runner of home spun cloth, hand embroidered and edged with crocheted lace. In the background are several large easels, holding oil paintings, water colors, and ink wash portraits. In the background a young boy with long dark hair, on the cusp of manhood chases after two smaller children- a boy and a girl, while a pygmy goat runs beside them, bleating happily in the fresh air. Beside the venerable television host sits Stiles and Derek on another bench. Both are smiling easily, Stiles in a white linen suit, Derek’s Hale Tribe ring on his finger, along with several jeweled insignias on his lapel that signal his authority as a tribal chief and the commander of an army. Derek wears a fresh white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, displaying powerful, tan forearms. His shirt is open at the neck, but there is a band around his upper arm with the symbols of the Black Wolves and the Dormer Army embroidered on it. Both men wear leather sandals and look relaxed in the face of this outsider from America.
Oprah looks at the camera and says, “I can’t believe it has already been fifteen years since I’ve last seen these two. Last time, we met in America and I was the only outside media source granted an interview with the elusive, newly engaged couple. The rare televised look at Westenra’s ruling class rocked the world- fascinating the millions of viewers with the story of the alpha nobleman and the orphaned omega soldier’s arranged courtship and impending marriage. Since we last spoke, there has been no shortage of controversy and political intrigue for what has now become the world’s most recognizable Westenra couple. Today, I sit with Stiles and Derek for the first time in their home- Dormer Keep. Stiles has granted our cameras unprecedented access into his country, his territories, and to his family.” She turns back to the couple, smiling. “Stiles, Derek- thank you so much for this opportunity. I can honestly say I never thought I’d see the day when American cameras would be allowed into Westenra, but then, so much has changed in the past fifteen years.”
Derek looks to his omega fondly, and Stiles is the first to speak. “We’re happy to have you here, Oprah.” He smiles, well practiced at speaking publicly. “In a lot of ways I feel like this is long over-due. Derek and I are private people, but we talked about it, and we have nothing to hide from the world. We’re very happy, and we wanted to share that with people.”
“Now, you’ll notice that I didn’t mention either of your titles in the opening.” Oprah says. “That wasn’t meant to be disrespectful, but I understand there has been some changes in title since the last time we met.”
“Yes,” Derek nods. “That may be something of an understatement.” Stiles laughs and Derek’s eyes light up at the sound.
“Stiles, you are now the first ruling omega chief in Westenra in more than a century- is that right?” Oprah says. “Explain to the rest of us how that came about.”
“As I’m sure people know,” Stiles starts. “I was born an orphan. I didn’t have a family and I went through the system like all orphaned or abandoned omegas. It wasn’t until after I had joined the army and was in Black Wolves training that scientists here uncovered a genetic link between me and a tribe that was thought to have died out. I had some allies in our tribal council who wished to restore me and restore the Dormer Tribe and the rest is history I guess.” He laughs.
“That is truly astounding.” Oprah says. “The restoration of your tribe, the Dormer Tribe, set off something of a social revolution in Westenra, now known as The Omega Spring. Experts all over the globe now study it as an example of a turning point in a society. Did you know you were going to have this sort of huge effect when you came to power?”
“No.” Stiles says, shaking his head vehemently. “That was never my intent. I think it’s a gross mis-characterization of my life when people say, ‘I set out to be a revolutionary,’ or whatever. I didn’t join the Central Military when I was a teenager because I was trying to overthrow alpha rule or any sort of nonsense like that. I was an omega who didn’t like the direction his life was going. I, personally, didn’t want anyone telling me what to do or where to go. I didn’t want to live like a slave. Joining the Black Wolves at that time seemed like the only option I had to possibly make a change in my own life. When I took charge of the Dormer territories, I suddenly had land and an army and some resources. I opened my home to the other omegas who didn’t have anywhere to go but the farms, the vulnerable people who were like me. I didn’t do it because I was trying to change some dynamic in our society. I did it because I didn’t like the way I grew up and I wanted other omegas to have choices too. Everything that’s come after that has been sort of a happy accident. I couldn’t have predicted what giving a whole population of people who had been essentially imprisoned because of their biology, because of the way they were born, another choice would do or how it would change the rest of the country.”
“What the Dormer tribe has done is really incredible.” Derek says. “In our lands, in the Dormer territories, we have things that I don’t think Westenra could have had without what Stiles did. We have schools here, we have art, we have omegas who build things and study things. We have returned to agriculture and farming. Before the Dormer tribe resurfaced, Westenra’s only focus was war and fighting- the people here aren’t interested in that.”
“I’m pleased that our children have more things to do and study now than just violence.” Stiles says. “When we were growing up, that’s all Derek and I knew. Now we have betas and alphas and other omegas who come from the other tribes to study here.”
“The country is still heavily militarized, but the need for constant armed presence in nowhere near as dire now.” Derek notes. “Most of the alphas here do ultimately have careers in the CM, but we export things now too. There are less marauding groups causing violent outbreaks in the country. There is less poverty all around. It’s been good for the stability of the nation on a whole.”
“The Dormer omegas are renowned craftsmen and artisans.” Oprah says to the camera. She waves to the artwork behind them. “Galleries around the globe now display the work of Westenra artists and many celebrities and fashion icons have worn gowns and jewelry that have been made right here in the Dormer territories.” She turns back to the couple. “Now, on a personal note- Derek, I have to talk to you about something.”
“Uh-oh.” Stiles smirks, laughing.
“I’m not sure you were entirely truthful with me the last time we spoke.” Oprah goes into voice-over as pictures from fifteen years ago appear on the screen. “At the time of my first interview with the Westenra royal couple, fifteen years ago, Lord Dormer, then just a foot soldier training with the Central Military’s exclusive Black Wolves, was in an arranged engagement with Lord Hale. We spoke about their impending marriage and their unusual love story which began when they were both just children. Less than a week later, Lady Laura Hale, Derek’s older sister and the ruling chieftess of the Hale tribe, publicly announced the couples’ split. The news was even more shocking when it was announced at the same time that Derek was now engaged to noblewoman, Lady Kate Argent, a beta from one of the other noble families of Westenra. Then, just as suddenly almost seven months after Stiles and Derek’s engagement was called off, it was announced to the world that the two had mated secretly and were officially planning to get married again.” Oprah turns back to Derek. “I can honestly say I was shocked when I heard that- about the initial split, I mean. From what I could tell during our meeting, all those years ago you seemed very much in love with Stiles. Did you know at that time, when we last spoke, that you were going to repudiate Stiles and call off your engagement?”
Derek’s eyes grow darker and he looks solemn. “ Yes.” He admits. “I did. But that’s not to say you were wrong or I was pretending or anything. During the last interview we did, I was- and still am, very much in love with Stiles. I loved him since the day I met him and that never changed. That will never change.” He looks over at Stiles and winds his fingers with his husband’s. Stiles looks down with a quiet smile, his face reflective and pensive.
“I have always maintained that I saw that you had real love for your fiancé when I met you.” Oprah says, looking carefully at Derek. “I’ve wanted to ask you all these years, if you really did love Stiles as much as you say you do, why did you call the marriage off? Why did you become engaged to another person?”
Derek takes a deep breath and glances at Stiles before answering. “We were young. We were both still learning about each other-“
“I didn’t want to get married.” Stiles speaks up, plainly.
“You didn’t want to get married.” Oprah’s eyebrows shoot up as she looks at the omega lord.
“No.” Stiles shakes his head. “At the time there was a lot going on around us- a lot going on in Westenra. It wasn’t the right time for us to be together. At the time I thought I’d never want to be mated.” He looks sideways at Derek. “I think I made that pretty clear.”
“Yeah.” Derek agrees with a small, woeful smile. “You did.”
“So you called the wedding off?” Oprah asks Stiles.
“No.” Stiles says. “I’m an omega and at that time omegas- and I, in particular, was not in any position to call off the engagement. Now, of course, the Dormer omegas have protection against arranged marriages and the right of divorce. They have representation in child custody hearings and everything, and we’re working on getting those rights extended to the omegas of other tribes, but at the time I didn’t have that kind of power. But, I take responsibility for the engagement ending- Derek wouldn’t have done that on his own.”
Oprah looks expectantly at Derek.
“No.” Derek confirms, squeezing Stiles’ hand. “I never would have done that if I didn’t think that is what he wanted.” He swallows, looking down and his and Stiles’ interlinked hands. “It killed me to do it. And I have a lot of regrets about the way the whole thing happened. I think that period in my life was the darkest one I’ve ever experienced. I wish, to this day it could have happened differently.”
“How do you wish it would have happened?” Oprah asks intently.
Derek looks thoughtful. “I wish we, and by we I mean me and my family, wouldn’t have just jumped into another engagement. I wish I had never agreed to become betrothed to Lady Argent. There was a lot of pressure coming at us, at the time, from the council and from the other noble families for me to mate and produce heirs, but I should have shut it all down. I should have taken a step back.” He takes a breath, as if the memories are a cold wind. “I was... devastated after breaking off my engagement to Stiles. I honestly thought my life was over. I just wasn’t thinking clearly and when things started picking up speed, I couldn’t control them the way I should have.” Stiles covers Derek’s hand with his other hand, both of the omega’s touching the alpha’s comfortingly.
“It was a turbulent time.” Stiles notes. “Derek and I weren’t really communicating. There was... a lot left unsaid. All of a sudden I was in charge of whole tribe- something I never thought would happen, and at the time I didn’t know which of the noble families- if any, would support me. I felt, at the time, that my loyalty should be to the omegas first.”
“So what changed?” Oprah asks, smiling. “Because things obviously did- and fast. The two of you were mated secretly after seven months.”
Stiles almost falls off the bench as he cracks up. Derek smiles broadly.
“It was... not really a secret.” Stiles says, trying to regain composure. “I mean, if it was, it only stayed that way for like thirty seconds. Derek’s family and my tribe found out almost immediately.”
Derek smiles at his mate teasingly, “It’s good to see you can laugh about this now.” He turns to Oprah. “He was not too happy about it at the time. I think we both would have appreciated a little more time to ease our families into it.” He winces at the memory.
“So even your families were surprised?” Oprah asks. “Because I can remember it being something of a shock, or dare I say, scandal at the time.”
“We did not... do that gracefully.” Derek nods. “At the time I wasn’t too concerned with how it would effect other people. I just knew I had to be with him.”
“I was most concerned with how it would effect my tribe, the other omegas.” Stiles says, sobering. “Here I was, the new leader of this group of people- we had omega refugees streaming in from all over the country, from the state-run farms, from bad marriages, from out of hiding, everywhere, and I had taken an alpha mate, a high ranking officer of the Central Military, no less, without consulting really, anyone. I had become this image, this poster child for omega freedom and independence, and here I was, mated to an alpha who had started our relationship in the most backward, archaic way ever. I had a lot of responsibilities and I was most terrified of letting people down. I didn’t want people to think I was going to abandon them or abandon my goals for the Dormer tribe just because I had a husband.”
“The first couple years were hard.” Derek says. “I think that’s why we haven’t really talked to the media until now. Stiles kept a pretty tight leash on me for a long time.” He smiles. “He didn’t want me talking to the Dormer tribe for the longest time. It was an uphill battle to even get us to a place where I could live on the Dormer lands with him, full time.”
“Really?” Oprah says. “You didn’t want your husband living with you?” She looks incredulously at Stiles.
Stiles smiles, shrugging. “We weren’t married at that time- we were just mated. I didn’t want the tribe to think that Derek would be taking over as chief or making any decisions about their lives. A lot of the omegas who came to us were, and still are mistrustful of Alphas and the Central Military. People were looking to me for sanctuary, for protection from all of that. I had my priorities at the time and I didn’t feel like my personal life could be one of them.”
“That must have been hard.” Oprah says, looking at Derek.
“It was incredibly frustrating.” Derek says. “But I’m not going to say Stiles didn’t have legitimate reasons to want to keep us separate from his rule. I love Stiles and I knew he had things to do here, at the keep, with the people. But I was really glad when we were able to live together like a normal couple. I did not like living apart.”
Stiles laughs a little. “He was going a bit mental, really. It wasn’t sustainable, and I knew that.”
“After three years together, the tribal council of Westenra finally got its wish and the whole country celebrated as Stiles had the couples’ first child, an omega son named Darcy Leopold. In the following years, they would add two more children to complete their family- an alpha daughter named Lace Bernadette, and alpha son, Dietrich John.” She turns back to the couple, waving towards the children playing in the yard behind them. “They’re beautiful.”
“Happiest day of my life was when my son was born.” Derek says, smiling wistfully.
“Mine too, but only because it finally shut everyone up.” Stiles laughs.
Oprah smiles. “Your eldest son, Darcy, is an omega.”
“He’s a Dormer omega.” Derek corrects. “He’s funny and creative and so smart-“
“He is trouble.” Stiles interrupts. “That one could escape Alcatraz if he felt like it. He requires his own platoon of security.”
“Well,” Derek shrugs. “You reap what you sow.”
“The other two are perfectly content to just sit around the keep and play with the animals or whatever. Darcy took one of Derek’s horses for a joyride when he was seven. Nobody could find him for like an hour.”
“He takes after his mother.” Derek smirks.
“He’s twelve now, right?” Oprah notes.
“Correct.” Stiles says.
“He’s the same age Stiles was when you started courting him.” Oprah says to Derek. “Any suitors in the wings?”
“Lady Lydia Martin’s son, Lord Jael tried to declare his intent earlier this year, but Stiles said, no, so... no.” Derek laughs. “Hasn’t stopped the poor kid from trying though.”
Stiles rolls his eyes. “My kids are normal kids.” He shrugs. “Trust me, I instilled a strong belief in cooties early in these kids. They aren’t going to be involved in that mess right now. The Martin menace can come talk to me after Darcy’s voice stops cracking.”
“A lot of changes here in Westenra.” Oprah says. “The future is looking bright. Thank you both for talking with me today.”