Chapter Text
Subaru opened his eyes as he awakened from his slumber.
What happened? The last thing he recalled was taking his vows. He was taken as Emilia’s King consort, and Rem was taken as his mistress. A bunch of congratulations from Reinhard, Julius, and Felix; a big celebration; and a talk with Emilia and Rem on the royal castle's balcony. He remembered Betrice wanting to speak with Rem and Emilia privately, and once the two of them returned … wait, what happened after that?
Subaru had tried to move; however, before his body responded, he felt a strange sense of warmth. His arms were wrapped around the delicate body of Rem; he felt two pairs of arms wrapping around his waist from behind. Taking a closer look, the pale skin confirmed that it was Emilia.
“Hehe, what kind of situation is this? Not that I mind, to be honest." This scene gave him the context he needed to piece things together. “Thank you, both of you.” His eyes narrowed quickly as soft, gentle rays of sunlight made contact.
Subaru began to gently nudge Rem to wake up. “Reeeem, it’s time to wake up~" he said, a teasing smile on his face, before he turned to the half-elf sleeping behind him. “You too, Emilia-tan, as much as I’d love to stay here between the two people I love most in this world. You were made queen yesterday.”
“Ngh— S-Subaruuu, I don’t want to leave you so soon. I reeeeeeally like it like this.” Emilia nuzzled her face into Subaru’s back. Pouting cutely while her eyes remained shut.
“I know, but you have a nation to rebuild and people to lead," he said with a smile on his face that quickly changed from gentle to sheepish. "Also, my waist is starting to hurt; could you please loosen your grip a little?"
“O-oh, Y-yes, of course." The blushing Emilia quickly let go of Subaru. “Beatrice told us to never let you go when sleeping. She told us you’re reaaaaaaly scared of sleeping alone. So I thought if I hold reaaaaally tight, you won’t be scared.”
“R-really?"
Emilia nodded. "It was what she told us about in public; it was mostly for Rem, though. I already knew through… you know.”
Subaru thanked Beatrice mentally before he noticed that Rem had also begun to awaken. “Good morning, Subaru-kun," she said, her voice groggy as she rubbed one of her eyes.
“And good morning to you too, Rem." He brushed a strand of hair from her face, showing her beautiful sky-blue eyes that gleamed the moment they locked eyes with him, her lips curved into a gentle smile that Subaru could have stared at for days. Emilia smiled at the gentle scene. Such were the feelings that flowed between all three of them.
“Alright. I think it’s time we get moving!" Emilia exclaimed while stretching. She sat at the side of the bed, intending to start her day.
“Why the rush, Emilia? Are you still shy about last night? "Rem teased.
“I-I am not!” Emilia retorted; however, her blush betrayed her words.
“Eh ?” Subaru was confused.
“Your face is bright red, Miss Emilia. I fear I can’t believe you. You looked really cute last night." Rem chuckled.
“Rem!" Emilia pouted
“Alright, alright, you two. Calm down, you’re both adorable, and I love you both. So can we stop the teasing?" Subaru said as he rested a hand on each lady’s shoulder. The sister wives looked at one another with an intense stare. This teasing fully refreshed his missing memories of last night.
“Alright, I suppose I was having too much fun,” Rem backed down.
“Hmph! You really were!" Emilia puffed out her chest and put her hands on her hips, still with that cute pouting face. She got up and went into the bathroom. “I’ll go ahead and get ready. I have a kingdom to lead.” Emilia faked sounding upset.
“I think that’s enough time in bed; we really should get going, wouldn’t you agree?” Subaru looked at Rem, to which Rem responded with a nod.
*Knock
*Knock
*Knock
"Lady Emilia, Rem, and stupid Baru—I mean, his stupid Majesty. It’s time to wake up," Ram called from behind the door, earning a brief chuckle from the two within the room.
“Thank you, sister!"
“Thanks, big sis!"
The two chuckled before getting ready as well. When the three were finally ready, they went to the grand castle balcony. They observed the scenery of the grand neo-capital of Lugunica.
Subaru looked in awe as the sun began to illuminate the dark night sky. Stars were still visible, and the moon was hanging on the opposite side of the sky. The celestial bodies of the heavens themselves were greeting them.
“Feeling nervous?” Emilia asked as she stood beside Subaru.
“Shouldn’t I be the one asking that?" Subaru replied.
“Perhaps, but you're the one with a shaking hand," she said as she laid her hand over his, briefly interlocking her fingers with his. “Don’t worry. You're not alone anymore.” Her hand was warm in contrast to the daybreak zephyr; her skin was as smooth as silk, and the firmness of her grip was that of reassurance.
“We’ll always be by your side. So continue being my … no, our Subaru.” Rem continued. Her cheeks turned into a beautiful shade of pink. Her lips smiled gently upon the sight of the man she loved. Her pale blue irises only showed him in their reflections. She wrapped one of her arms around Subaru’s, holding him affectionately close.
Subaru’s breath stopped briefly; he finally made it. After countless deaths, nearly endless suffering, and trial and error—he was here. Alive, with the two people he loved most, hand in hand.
“You’re right. Thank you both. For catching me when I fall and helping me get back up. I am blessed to have you both by my side,” Subaru spoke with determination, his eyes possessing that signature golden hue, "and I promise you, here and now. You two will never see me give up. Because giving up isn’t something Subaru Natsuki does.”
Thus spoke the new king of Lugunica.
And so, across the following 17 years, the queen of Luginica, along with her king consort and his mistress, led the kingdom onto a path of prosperity. Along the way, the king was blessed with 4 children: one who became beloved by the people, the second a Valiant warrior, the third a soaring pioneer, and the last —
(Author talk)
Heyoooo !! long time no see, ey ? y'all probably wanted ABAM, but that's an entire beast I will tackle after exam season. for now, this is the fic I am going to commit myself to. (as much as I can). This chapter is just a warning for future chapters. This fanfic won't follow canon that closely. I am overhauling some things in Re:Zero. You only need to be caught up to Arc 9 (with some arc 10 larping) to avoid all spoilers present in this fic. So here are some things to expect:
OOC Emilia: She has brain braincells in this fic. omg, Arc 6 Emilia was so goated. Damn you, Teppei.
The magic system of Re:Zero will be completely overhauled/reimagined.
Some of the current history we know of the world will be expanded upon. aka what happened before the 400 years ago mark.
If this is not your cup of tea, then thank you for reading this chapter. but this story is probably not for you.
IF you want further context on what led to this chapter, consider reading Beyond: Zero, Side Stories, which was the original draft for this fic. It's still updating till we reach this point. Due note that the available chapters didn't have beta readers, and I have (somewhat) improved since then. So the quality of writing might genuinely be genuine hot garbage. (narratively and grammatically)
Big thanks to BunnerBoi for beta reading. Check out his fic, "Andromeda." It's really cool.