Magic AU, Inspired by the book "A Tale Of Magic" by Chris Colfer

CW: Mention of illness

~~~

Stephen felt like an outcast.

He's the prince of a kingdom named Stardew Hills. Everybody there, as with most humans of this world, was born with some kind of magical ability. Signs of it could either be physical from birth or show up later, or engrained into the person's morals or personality.
For example, someone with a gift for cooking may have an interest in making food for others. Or, a physical sign would be something like a child being born with golden strands of hair.

Stephen though, had no magical ability to speak of, despite now being nineteen. His parents, despite the healers' best attempts, are both in frail health. Should they not make it, Stephen is to take the throne on his 20th birthday.

And he'd be the first magic-less prince in a century.

So, being a little desperate, he went to an old friend of his- Tony Stark, who was often viewed as sort of a mad scientist.
In reality, he was just a wizard with a specialty for invention. He worked in the palace with Doctor Bruce Banner, who has a specialty for medicine.

Stephen walked into the room, which had both medical things and some of Tony's inventions.

"Prince Stephen, is there something you need?" Doctor Banner asked. "Yes actually.. not that I think I'll be surprised by the results but, is there a way to tell, for sure, if someone has magic?" Stephen asks, sitting on the medical table.

"Well... Erm... Yes. But it hasn't been used since the year 2147." Bruce said. "But I have it!" Tony chimed in, running off into a supply closet and grabbing a tiny device with a fingerprint pad and meter on the side.
"It tells you how powerful your magic is. Look, I'll show you!" Tony explained, turning the old device on and placing his finger on it for a moment. The slider on the bar moved to just below midway. Afterwards, he held it out to Stephen.

"If you want to know for sure." He said. Stephen didn't know if he did want to know, but he figured he might as well, since he came all this way.
Hesitantly, he put his finger over the sensor on the device, expecting the slider not to move. However, it did the opposite; it went all the way to the top of the meter.

Nobody was expecting that. Stephen looked bewildered, Tony and Bruce shared confused glances. Tony's face, though, soon turned into an amused smirk, like he found a game he wants to play.
"Well, prince Stephen, maybe there's more to you than we thought." He says, putting the device down. Stephen shook his head in disbelief. "I've never been able to cast magic in my life; that thing is broken, it has to be."

"It's not. It's in full working condition, I promise." Tony says. Along with being a genius when it comes to creating things, he's also able to tell the quality and status of any technology he touches.

"But that doesn't make sense. If I was that powerful, surely I would have been able to use my powers by now, right?" Stephen asked.
"Hypothetically, yes. Although..." Bruce trailed off. Stephen looked over at him. "‘Although’ what?" He pressed. Bruce took a minute to think before responding.

"W-well, I haven't heard of it happening very often- quite rarely, actually, but... Sometimes, a person can be born with magic, however they're unable to use it without the help of a Focus." Doctor Banner explained.
"It's called Enobice Magica. Magic wall. It's when the user's body is incapable of channeling magic through their veins, because it reads magic as a virus. Last recorded person to have it was your Ancestor Princess Adaesha." Bruce continued.

"Is it curable?" Stephen asked hopefully. "W-well um... Not exactly.." Bruce started. " -But, I might be able to help you! Y'know, so you're magic doesn't cause your body to atrophy more-" Tony said. Bruce gave him a look.
"What? It's true; the more powerful someone with Enobice Magica is, the more their body is going to fight their power like it's a virus. Which, might I add, causes eventual death." Tony continued.

Stephen looked startled at that knowledge, but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. His hair had two white chunks on the sides, and his hands shook so badly, it was hard to do daily tasks.

"Follow me, your highness." Tony said after a moment, walking out the door. Stephen glanced at Bruce, who shook his head and went back to working. Stephen then followed Tony out, wondering where his friend was taking him.

"Like Banner said, you need a Focus." Tony said as they walked. "What's a Focus?" Stephen questioned. "A Focus is an old way people used to channel magic, before it became part of our genetics. Focuses are things like crystal balls, pendulums, and wands." Tony explained.

"Okay... So where are we going?" Stephen asked. Instead of answering, Tony led Stephen to an old closet, one that looked like no one has touched it for years. Upon opening the door, Stephen saw some brooms, old drawings, and a lot of boxes.
One of them was a rectangular box, dusty, but fancy and expensive-looking. Tony took it off the shelf and gave it to Stephen. "There, try that."

Stephen opened the box, and inside, there was a black wand with a blue crystal on the top, encased in thin silver strands. When Stephen held the wand, the crystal glew fairly brightly, and he could feel the magic he didn't know he had channel into the magical item.
Tony looked giddy. "Try it! I wanna see what your talent is!" He exclaimed. Stephen looked wary but also excited, waving the wand carefully. As he did that, little orbs of light filled the closet, along with a blue butterfly that landed on Tony's nose.

"Woah.. Stephen, I think your tal-" Tony started. He was cut off by Stephen hugging him tightly. "Thank you!" He said. Tony was caught off guard; it's very rare for Stephen to be so enthusiastic and emotional.
He went to say ‘You're welcome’ when Stephen gently kissed Tony's cheek. Tony turned red, putting a hand to his cheek after Stephen stepped back.

He tried his best to remain professional, but a flustered and slightly bashful smile was making it's way to his face. "Of course, your highness..."