Chapter Text
"Tony, just be glad that we aren't his prisoners," Stephen advised softly. "I know that this could have been so much worse and I promise that even though this adds Dormammu to our lives as family this is a much better out come than it could have been."
"I understand that just fine," Tony said, miffed. "I am just going to take time to get used to him being part of our dragon flight and decide if I can trust him with either of you. I am also irked that I can't step in to argue the deal myself since they made the agreement mostly before everything that just happened today. I have no idea what else was agreed to with the adoption obviously being a late but important addition. My Godmother is far from stupid and she is the one who taught me about magical deals. We try to change this and it can go very wrong very fast even if Dormammu is perfectly willing to go along with everything we suggest."
"At least you listened about that," the Ancient One smirked knowingly.
"Your own actions made it a three for one deal," Dormammu laughed. "Stephen is the prize, that he comes with the two of you is a bonus. Be glad I accepted instead of deciding to separate the three of you for my own ends."
Tony went tense as he realized that this could have been done specifically to separate them but that Dormammu had decided the two of them were worth the inconvenience. Tony could tell that Dormammu was going to be keeping them as leverage against Stephen. Not the best position to be in, a hostage to a family member and loved one. Still, it was better than the dragon rage being triggered... for now.
"Please don't, " Stephen requested tightly. "I hate head games and manipulation. It rarely ends well for anyone. "
"Then let me make it clear," Dormammu smirked. "Even if these two only hold value to you it is worth claiming them with you for the worth I see in you. Looked at another way the fact that you see them with such obvious value means there is something there which is a great treasure even if it is not seen at first glance. I look forwards to discovering which is which."
"Do you want me to formally leave the Order?" Stephen asked quickly, obviously aiming for a distraction for both Dragon and Dark Lord.
"That will not be necessary," Dormammu said confidently. "You have been her successor from the start and I have no issues with you accepting your inheritance from your mother."
"That is not as comforting as you likely suppose," Stephen huffed, crossing his arms moodily. "I suppose part of my easy acceptance and of my willingness to question is just how many things have been revealed to me or that I otherwise had to confront in such a short time. My memories of the other timeline started to unlock when I first saw Tony, my dragon. Something about him just triggered it. While I napped at his bedside in the hospital more and more of them unlocked and slid into place or I likely would not remember our confrontation at all."
"And this brother?" Dormammu asked deceptively calm.
"I already answered that," Stephen sighed and allowed his arms to drop back to his sides. "I suspect that Wong and the Ancient One both have some echoes of memories from that other timeline. It is the only explanation I can come up with for such a strong defense beyond what I would normally suppose from the memories of my training here in this timeline. Granted, they shaped up similarly in both but there are a few distinctive differences, namely my confrontation with you. I also suspect that Master Mordo remembers or he would have reacted completely differently to my revelation of those memories from the other timeline."
"Which is part of why I stepped forwards," Wong grumbled. "You are often an idiot. A very smart idiot but still an idiot. That said I know that your blunder and then later choice to use time magics was not decided maliciously. I also know that I had to put you on suicide watch after your fight with Dormammu and I would rather avoid that again. You are a nightmare to keep contained even when you aren't actually trying to hurt us seriously."
Dormammu's look of open surprise prompted the Ancient One to speak.
"Less than nine months actually casting magic, Dormammu. He had also just witnessed my death before apparently fighting you," the Ancient One said pointedly. "If I had not put him through the accelerated course and stopped the various concerned Masters from interfering when he started using Astral Projection to study while he slept Stephen would still be an apprentice. I took short cuts to teach him and gave him an excelerated war time training instead of something safer. I knew he could handle it safely."
"Didn't you refuse to do the same with me?" Tony demanded suspiciously. "I distinctly remember wanting to get over my developed fear of portals and actually be able to handle idiot magic users properly. You told me no."
"That is besides the point. It was also in the eighteen hundreds when it truly was not vital," the Ancient One huffed. "Granted, I wasn't happy to discover that you were dreaming about passing through a portal to land in outer space without proper protections but Prince Loki has been a friend of our Order for at least a thousand years. I hardly think he would arrange to have you carry a dangerous scroll object through such a portal to stop such a terrifying army. He would be more likely to sabotage such an army or convince Prince Thor that it needs to be smashed."
"So that's why you insisted I learn both the dragon style and some of the hard counters for your style," Tony grumbled. The look of indulgent amusement she sent towards Tony told everyone who saw it that it had been on purpose.
"You've delayed enough," Dormammu said, turning to the Ancient One. "Are you invoking our agreement in regards to your students being in rebellion or your son in danger?"
"I am," the Ancient One sighed. "The fact that we were placed in these rooms is answer enough to their intentions. I believe that you co-opted Master Kaecilius and those who chose to follow him?"
"I did," Dormammu agreed with a malicious smirk.
"Then... Master Mordo and those who worked with him to banish Stephen and hold me are yours to do with as you see fit," the Ancient One conceded in open defeat. "I had hoped... well perhaps it does not matter what I hoped. I presume you wish to linger once you have those members of my Order in hand?"
"Not as such. I will grant some of your months for you and our children to regain the rest of your Order," Dormammu conceded. "I will come and go here as I please and you will cooperate with any future lessons I decide for the three of them."
"Agreed," the Ancient One grimaced.
They all knew this was only the start of things to come.