Title: The Heart of a King
Rating: M - Mature
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Romance
Pairings: HunterShawn, TakerJoMo, BatistaRey, RandyCena, EdgeMiz, MattJeff
Warnings: Slash, smut, alternate universe, possible male pregnancy
Summary: In a world of kings and warriors, allegiances are sworn, meant to be upheld. But sometimes, the warriors have a mind of their own...

AN: So, this idea has been bouncing around my head ever since Sheamus said, "This warrior bows to no king." in a promo before Wrestlemania... Basically, Hunter is the king of a nation, and he has a great deal of warriors who are sworn to protect him. That kind of lets you know the basics of the storyline. Once I get a set cast list, if you will, I'll put it in either the end of that chapter, or my profile so that you can all see what's going on here.

Disclaimer: I do not own World Wrestling Entertainment or any of the wrestlers mentioned herein. The wrestlers portrayed in this act of fiction are property and copyright of the WWE and their respective owners.

TheHeartofaKing

The pounding sound of a horse's hooves sounded on the sandy white trail that led up to the castle. It curved around the entrance, a lowered wooden drawbridge being the only thing that pointed out where the actual entrance to the castle was. Thick, plush green grass filled the other acres, and underneath the thick drawbridge was murky brown-green water, though what it hid, no one could be sure. The castle itself was huge, towering over most other castles. It was made with white-washed bricks, the covers over the towers a blue in color. On the tops of every tower were white flagpoles, green flags attached to them, a silver iron cross in the center. In the middle of the cross was an ornate black crown, the symbol of the Helmsley family.

Behind the castle, the sandy white trail seemed to merely appear from the grass, going drastically from grass to brilliant white sand, that went right into the beautiful blue of the sea. The waves crashed up onto the shore, whitecaps bubbling down to fade into the sand.

Trumpets sounded as the hooves sounded louder on the drawbridge. A small group of men came in, their horses being led immediately to a large stable. The one in front, a large man with short brown hair and bright blue eyes, jumped off his horse before it had stopped, his hand grabbing the reins as he did, keeping the brown horse from going too far. A tall man met him in front of the stables, raising an eyebrow.

" I hate it when you do that, John. The horses don't appreciate being jerked around either," the man said, his accent soft, yet foreign. The blue-eyed man laughed, clasping the wrists of the brunette in front of him.

" Matt. I've been away too long. I'll help you put him in the stable if you fill me in on what's been going on," John said. Matt shrugged, taking the reins from John and rubbing the stallion's nose, easing the creature in. Matt's thick, curly hair was pulled back tight, held at the back of his neck by a thick length of leather. His bright brown eyes watched the horse carefully, making sure that there were no injuries to the beautiful creature .

Once inside the stable, the two men talked. John removed the saddle and blanket from the horse, rubbing them down as Matt led the horse to his stall. There, Matt removed the rein and bit from the horse's face, carefully setting them aside as he put hay and water in the stall him. As they did this, their conversation turned from what John had been doing out in the country, to what had been going on around the castle.

"The King has decided that it was a good idea to bring in a few more warriors for the castle," Matt was saying, his brown eyes watching the brush as he rubbed it along the brown hair of the mane. "He brought in a pale man... He calls himself the Celtic Warrior. Shawn is backing him, but none of us are very sure about him. He's been walking around like he's the Head of the Guard."

"Speaking of which," John said, moving back over toward the stable master. He grabbed another brush and began to brush the other side of the horse. "How is he?" Matt's brown eyes moved up to John, watching him calmly.

"He's taken an extreme dislike for the Celtic Warrior," Matt said, grinning as his white teeth flashed against tan skin and full, pink lips. "Actually, I think he's starting to sneak around corners to try to bite him."

John stared at Matt, his eyes wide, for a moment.

"... Wow. That extreme, huh?" Matt laughed, nodding.

"Yes. Anyway. Hunter sent word that when you got here, head up to the Main Hall. He wants to know how the troops are doing and if we're getting any closer to the enemy."

"Will do. Thanks, Matt," John said, putting the brush down and waving to the other man as he left. His thick and heavy armor was feeling hot and way too heavy, but when the King demanded you see him, you did it.

As he was about to push the doors open to enter the Hall, he was pulled up against the wall, pinned with a harsh shove. In the next second, before he could pull his sword, he felt lips slam onto his, a tongue push past his lips without any regard for whether or not John wanted it. However, only a grin broke John's features, and he kissed back, his tongue colliding and dancing with the other one. After a moment, the other person pulled back, making John open his eyes, blue meeting blue.

"Welcome home, John."

The voice was as welcoming to John as the face was. Hard lines, soft lips, blue eyes, and dark hair. John took in the features of the Head of the Royal Guard, also taking in the light and comfortable leather armor worn by the leaner guards. However, this was cut to show off the markings he proudly wore. They were a symbol of his heritage, and covered the back of his shoulders, going down the sides as well.

"Randy. I missed you."

The two leaned in, their lips touching again, almost teasingly. They broke apart again and Randy leaned back, allowing John to get off the wall. Randy fixed the bottom of the leather tunic before looking at John.

"He wants to see you," Randy said. John nodded.

"Matt told me."

Randy nodded and smirked at John, moving and pushing the door open.

"Your majesty! General Johnathan Cena, of the Royal Army, has returned," Randy announced, his voice loud, ringing out and carrying over the voices and whispers in the Hall. John, used to the way eyes turned to him, stood beside Randy, his eyes falling on a large man sitting on a throne. He and the man next to him had blond hair, both with it falling over their shoulders. The larger man had piercing hazel eyes, that moved immediately from the Head of his Guard, to the General of the Royal Army. A smile broke his face, matching that of the blue-eyed man next to him.

"John! Come up here and let me see you," the man said, standing and holding his arms out. An answering smile crossed John's face, and he crossed the crowd, relishing in the applause that broke out. The citizens were proud of their King's army, the way that they sacrificed their lives to keep them all safe. It was a welcome that always happened, that he never tired of.

He bowed as soon as he was in front of the King, aware that Randy had disappeared again. The King laughed, wrapping his arms around John, clapping the man in the back. The blond next to the King stood as well, hugging John and grinning.

"Come. Let's go to a spot that's a bit more private," Hunter said, holding his arm out for the blond next to him. The blond winked at John before holding onto Hunter's arm, following him to the room off to the side of the thrones. John followed, keeping his distance respectful, but close enough to continue their conversation.

"Shawn, could you ask the steward for some water?" Hunter asked. The blond nodded, kissing Hunter's cheek, and then moved across the room, opening the other door that was by his throne, asking the steward outside the door about it. Hunter turned his eyes to the General, the hazel orbs showing concern.

"What is the word?" he asked, watching John. John sat, leaning back in the high-backed chair as he sat at the table, sitting to the left of Hunter. Shawn came back, sitting on the right side of Hunter. Their hands immediately moved to clasp one another, something that made John smile, dimples flashing before he spoke.

"They have not moved at all," John said, shrugging slightly. "They stay there, their camps are still erected, their fires still burn. I don't think they've stopped planning, but I'm sure that they have decided to stop moving for now. It's going to be a temporary fix, as you know, but at least they're staying in one place." Hunter looked at Shawn, his thumb caressing the other blond's hand. The steward entered the room, carefully pouring water into the goblets that were placed in front of the three men in the room. The conversation stopped until the steward left the room.

"Thank you, John," Hunter said. John blinked, a smile easing onto his face.

"It's never something you need to thank me for, Hunter. You are my King and my friend. My allegiance will never need to be questioned," John said. Hunter smiled at him, clasping the man's wrists.

"I know, and that is something I thank you for even more. I'm going to let you stay here for a while, let you spend time with Randy. Take advantage of it, John. When I send you off again, I don't know how long it will be for."

John wasn't surprised that Hunter knew about his relationship with Randy. Randy's family had been serving Hunter's as Head of the Royal Guard for generations. Not only that, but the three of them were close friends, as was John with Shawn, the 'Queen', if you will. Though John and Randy, like many of the others in the Kingdom, weren't that open with their relationship, Hunter knew. Sometimes, John wondered if he didn't already know the things he was told about.

"Go on, John. Go spend time with Randy. Tell him that I'll have Dave and Adam keep an eye out for a while. It's been too long since the two of you have had a chance to be together," Shawn said. Hunter looked at Shawn, but nodded in agreement. John smiled, standing and bowing in one fluid motion.

"Thank you, your majesties," he said, standing and moving out of the room, aiming to find his lover. Shawn moved then, pushing Hunter's chair back and perching himself in the King's lap.

"I see the tension in your shoulders, my king," Shawn whispered, his hand moving, one to hold Hunter's hand, the other to push blond hair back with careful fingers. Hunter closed his eyes, leaning his head into the touch, closer to Shawn, his heart and soul.

"I don't like the idea of going to war, and I hate having to separate John and Randy all the time like this," Hunter told Shawn. Shawn smiled, leaning in and kissing Hunter's forehead, then down to one cheek.

"They understand, my love," he said, moving to the other cheek. "If they didn't, they would have requested other jobs. Everyone with us understands. They love you, just as I do, and don't want anything bad to happen to you. None of them have ever showed signs of turning against you or your decisions. You worry too much."

Before Hunter could respond, Shawn leaned in, their lips closing on one another's. Shawn took control, keeping the kiss gentle and loving, showing Hunter how much he meant. They pulled apart, their eyes meeting, both showing love to the other.

"I love you, Shawn," Hunter said. A smile bloomed across Shawn's face.

"And I love you, my King."

TBC...

AN : I'm pretty proud of that one. A lot more detail and concept seemed to be in there than some of my other ones. For those of you who may be waiting on an update of My Addiction, I haven't forgotten about it. I'm just trying to figure out exactly where I wanted to go with it from there. The updates I owe people for A Collection of Kisses and Steamin' Up the Place will also be out soon. I'm aiming for this weekend, but I'm not going to promise anything.

.: TheMizMagnet :.