Title: What a Wonderful World
Author: Alice
Fandom(s): Kyou Kara Maou!
Spoilers: Spoilers through to the end of the second season; some hints at the events from the OVAs but not in great detail.
Pairings/Characters: Yuuri/Wolfram, Conrad + Wolfram
Summary: After an assassination attempt on Wolfram leaves the denizens of Blood Pledge Castle in shock, Yuuri takes it upon himself to assign Wolfram a lone personal knight who'll place Wolfram's wellbeing above even the king's safety.
Part: 3/(?)
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Violence and gay; the best combination in the world. 8')
Disclaimer: Alice does not own Kyou Kara Maou. And you all should be very, very thankful for that.
Author's Notes: Okay so, in between the release of this chapter and the previous chapter, two things have occurred. First off, two new OVAs. Oh my. I still have no clue what the hell was going on in the 4th one and the 5th one was just hardxcore. Moving on to the point, another big event that has happened is the start of the third season. And uh, I'll try to avoid giving specific spoilers but it looks like we'll be getting at least a bit more of a look at Wolfram's family this season, which sort of renders the bit of back-story and family for him portrayed in this fic wrong. Which was obvious, but I'm just letting you guys know that since I started this before the new season came out; I'm flat-out ignoring the third season. Like, everything. Wolfram's family, Anissina's family, events, so on and so forth. We're just going to pretend it didn't happen and carry on. Now I think I understand how fans who were writing fic while the original series was still airing must of felt. Oh, canon. 8')
Anyway, thank you guys for the excellent response
I hope this chapter lives up to our expectations.
Chapter Three: Departure
Wolfram was somewhat surprised that Yuuri invited him. It thrilled him, certainly, but it wasn't what he was expecting from the king. He naturally agreed; the last day in the castle before setting out on a long journey should be spent with one's family. Or in the case, the people Wolfram considered to be his family.Greta was the one who set it up, rummaging around with one of the maids to find a big, comfortable blanket, setting it up in the gardens, and asking the maids to bring the food. All Yuuri and Wolfram had to do was be there. How their daughter had managed to convince the others to give them their time alone was beyond them, but Yuuri was beyond grateful.
"Although," he admitted, taking a bite of an unusually colored apple, "Günter has been letting me skive off of lessons a bit more recently." This earned him a glare from Wolfram and he raised his hands in defense. "I-it's not my fault! He says he has other work to do and runs off! I don't even ask to be let go, he just… sends me off!" Wolfram's eyes narrowed at him. "I'm being honest!" Yuuri insisted.
"I think he's telling the truth, papa Wolfram," Greta said, looking up at him, curiously. "I saw Günter in the library earlier with a huge stack of books he was going through… I think he might be researching that strange magic from the ball."
"Ah," Wolfram said, still frowning at Yuuri. "Have you at least been doing something productive with your time to make up for lost lessons? Have you gotten any work with Gwendal done?"
"Some!" Yuuri said, nodding. "He's been lightening the load, though. He says that some of the documents need… follow-up? Or something like that. Anyway, he says that some of them will need lots of time to look over so it would be better to hold them off until after we return from Bordelais."
Greta pouted at the mention of the foreign kingdom her two fathers would be leaving for the next day. "Do you really have to go?"
Yuuri raised his hand to stroke her hair and gave her a sad smile. "Yeah, we do… It would be rude not to. But you don't have to worry, Greta, we'll be back soon!"
"Your father's right," Wolfram added. "Anissina will be back tomorrow, and the maids will be here, and mother. Günter's staying behind, too. You'll have lots of people to play with and entertain you while we're away and then, before you know it, we'll be back."
Greta nibbled on a piece of bread and looked between the two boys. "You'll be alright? What if something happens to you and you don't… come back to Greta!"
Her father gathered the young girl up in his arms and held her tightly to his chest. "Don't worry, Greta," he muttered to her, soothingly. "Nothing's going to happen to us. Wolfram and I will protect each other, and Conrad will be there, and Gwendal. Even if someone tries something, we're fully prepared to fight!"
Greta was quiet for a moment, her gaze lingering on Wolfram, who was smiling at her reassuringly. "You weren't… prepared for the ball."
Wolfram's eyes widened at Greta's words and he and Yuuri exchanged worried glances. "That was… different, Greta. That was a surprise attack. We're going into enemy territory; we'll be fully prepared for any sort of confrontation." He scooted forward to sit next to Yuuri and reached out to place a hand on her smaller one. "We'll be alright, Greta. You don't have to worry."
She blinked up at him, then at Yuuri, and a small smile spread across her face. "I guess you guys are right… Yuuri and papa Wolfram will look after each other!"
"That's right," Wolfram said, nodding. He glanced at Yuuri, who shot him a sheepish grin, and Wolfram's cheeks turned just a bit pink.
"Günter isn't going to be happy about being left behind again," Greta commented and Yuuri let out a nervous laugh.
"You… you'd think! But he actually volunteered to stay behind. It was bizarre."
"Günter has been acting weird since the night of the attack," Wolfram said, glancing towards the castle.
"Do you think something's wrong with him?" Yuuri asked.
"Something's always been wrong with Günter," Wolfram replied, rolling his eyes in annoyance at the currently-not-present advisor. "But I'm not sure… what's wrong with him now."
"He seems very determined to learn more about that strange magic that attacked you, Wolfram," Greta added, sliding out of Yuuri's grasp to snatch a sandwich from the basket of food she had had the maids prepare.
"Yeah, that's true… Not only that, though, but he's also just seemed very out-of-it in lessons. Like, there were times when his voice would trail off mid-sentence and he'd stand there looking out the window with a weird expression on his face. I'd have to go snap my fingers by his ear to get him to respond to me!" Yuuri frowned as he recalled these memories of the past few weeks. It was something he'd noticed, subconsciously, but didn't really think on or find truly strange until he said it out loud. "Could he be sick or something?"
"I have no idea," Wolfram said, accepting a purple fruit offered to him by Greta. "You know…" he said, taking a small bite and looking around the gardens with a small smile on his face. "I'm glad the weather's nice today."
Greta giggled and nodded, following Wolfram's gaze. "Definitely!" she said, excited, all thoughts of Günter pushed from her mind in an instant. "This is a great way to spend the day with my two favorite people." She took another bite while Yuuri and Wolfram exchanged grins before they both followed Greta's example and carried on with their meal.
There were few things in the world that truly made Günter von Kleist angry. One of those things was people snooping around in his personal business. He liked to keep his private life private and some people seemed to lack respect for that and it frustrated and angered him. He particularly hated it when people went into his private chambers, announced or unannounced, but especially unannounced for obvious reasons. But above all else he hated it when people snooped in his personal business in his private chambers while Günter was in there trying to work, as he was when there was a sharp knock at his door that pulled him from his deep thought.
Günter glanced towards the door and let out a sigh. "Who is it?" he said, doing his best to maintain his calm demeanor.
"I need to speak to you," came Gwendal's voice from the other side of the door.
Günter sighed a second time and called to Gwendal, "It's open; you may enter."
Gwendal opened the door and walked in, eyes darting around the unfamiliar area, taking in the pile of books, some so worn from use that pages were falling out and they were everywhere, just stacks of books and little else. He rarely came in to Günter's room, he could only recall one or two instances over the course of Günter's time at the castle that he'd needed to and it always amazed him how untidy and cluttered the advisor's room was.
"What is it you need, Gwendal?" Günter asked, attention directed back towards the book on the desk in front of him.
"Have you found any information concerning the magic used to attack my brother?" Gwendal asked, getting straight to the point.
"Not yet," Günter said, sadly, "but I'm still researching diligently. But is that all? I think that that question could have waited until tomorrow…"
Gwendal was silent and Günter's eyes narrowed a bit but he didn't raise his gaze to meet the younger man's. "Gwendal?"
Gwendal let out an exasperated sigh and raised his hand to massage his temple, more and more wrinkles creasing his brow. "Five times, Ulrike said, was how many times that that different magic was used. Only five."
"Is this strange to you?"
"Four times it was the person who attacked Wolfram, correct? And it was during the actual attack. The fifth was another person interfering."
Günter nodded. "Go on."
"They used magic to transport out. So how did they get in?"
Günter raised his head, slowly, to look at Gwendal, eyebrows raised. "You think… someone helped them enter the castle?"
"How else could they have gotten in without someone noticing?!"
"Have you spoken to any of the guards about this? They could have snuck in."
"No one saw anything," Gwendal ground out, clearly fuming. "Yozak scouted the area and there's no evidence anywhere that that person forced entry. The only other option was if they were smuggled in."
"Someone would have noticed."
"There were a lot of people at that party that I didn't recognize. Guests, consorts, concubines, a whole slew of people who were invited by nobles."
Günter blinked. "Gwendal, are you suggesting… you think that one of the nobles plotted to have Wolfram killed?"
Gwendal nodded.
"That's a very bold accusation, Gwendal. To even suspect treason!" Günter blinked a few times before he continued to speak, quietly, a hint of nervousness in his voice. "Have you… told anyone else about your suspicions? Besides Yozak?"
"No."
Günter nodded and took in a deep breath. "This is something that must be handled with great care, Gwendal. Be sure to only relay this information to people you absolutely trust."
"I would send Yozak out to investigate further but he'll be accompanying His Majesty on the voyage to Bordelais," Gwendal said, frowning. "So for the time being it'll just be the two of us. We'll have to keep our wits about us and pay extra close attention for any signs of suspicious activity."
"Indeed," Günter said softly, shutting his eyes tightly as though he thought it would make all the stress vanish into thin air, "If that's all you wish to tell me, Gwendal, then you may leave now. I should continue researching for any information on Wolfram's attackers."
"Of course," Gwendal said and he turned to leave but something caught his eye and he turned back, eyes narrowing. "Günter?"
"Yes?"
"That book is blank. There's nothing written in it."
There was a pause in which Günter looked from Gwendal to the book and back at Gwendal and smiled at him. "Indeed it is."
Gwendal opened his mouth to speak, thought better of it, and with a last look at Günter's book and a quick bow, he exited the room.
Günter stared at the door a moment longer before turning back to look at his book. He sighed and shook his head, slowly. "I have my suspicions too, Gwendal…" he said, leaning forward and pressing his palm against the page of the book. Words suddenly began swirling across the page, glowing an eerie black and blue and they floated, drifting on and off the page, disappearing into thin air and reappearing again and Günter watched them, eyes darting back and forth as though he were reading a normal book and absorbing all which he read. "And I hope that they are not true… but if they are… then we have far more than just a traitor in our midst."
They left at dawn to begin their journey to the sea. Yuuri and Wolfram said goodbye to Greta, who had cried just a little, and they comforted her, telling her not to worry, they'd be back soon, and just like that they were on their way.
They're first few days of traveling were relatively uneventful. Some days they were able to make it to a town and stay in inns but there were some days when they found the sun setting while they were in the forest and had to set up camp there. Conversation on the road was fairly dull, mostly complaining from Yuuri about why Bordelais had to be so far away, talk of Greta, and horror stories of what Anissina was up to. Stories of home. Yuuri questioned now and then what life in Bordelais was like and what he could expect and if there were any certain customs he needed to know ("Don't want to end up accidentally engaged to someone else… Ow, Wolfram! What was that for?!") Murata was surprisingly unhelpful.
"In all my years," he said, "I've never once actually visited the country and it is far away so news of it rarely reached my ears…" Yozak and the others were equally clueless. It was a completely new place, a new experience, for all of them, and though none of them said it aloud, it was clear that this was making all of them a bit nervous and Yuuri found himself starting to wish that he'd denied the offer to visit in the first place.
"Captain!"
Conrad's ears perked up at the sound of Yozak calling to him from across the make-shift camp and he stood, slowly and moved to join his friend, who was staring intently out into the dark forest. He moved carefully so as not to awaken any of the boys who were currently sleeping peacefully. "What is it? Did you see something?" he asked as he reached Yozak's side and he glanced in the direction Yozak was looking for any sign of movement.
Yozak nodded his head and jerked it towards the woods. "Something… or someone was perched in that tree over there…"
"Watching us?"
"Not quite."
Conrad's eyes narrowed at this. "What do you mean?"
"They were watching you. The entire time they're focus was completely on you… and… Captain, this isn't the first time I've seen them."
"What?!" Conrad had to fight to keep his voice quiet. "This person has been following us and you didn't see fit to tell me this?"
"Quite honestly," Yozak said, sheepishly, "I thought you'd noticed already."
"I hadn't."
"Obviously." Yozak sighed and ran his hand through his orange hair. "I didn't want to alarm His Majesty and them without cause and this person has done nothing but watch you this entire time."
"What did they look like?"
"I haven't been able to see clearly. Too dark. I've just seen their silhouette. They're fairly small, I'd say only a bit taller than His Majesty and lithe, but that's all I can make out. They say me watching them watching you for the first time tonight and ran for it."
Conrad glared into the woods as though he thought the stalker in question was just outside his line of vision. "Do you get the impression that this person poses a threat?"
"I'm not sure… but do we really want to run the risk that they could be?"
Conrad nodded in understanding and slowly drew his sword. "Which way did they go?" Yozak gestured in the direction the person had fled and Conrad nodded. "Look after His Majesty and them while I'm gone."
"What should I tell them if they wake up?" Yozak asked, casting a glance over his shoulder at the boys.
"Make something up," Conrad said, rolling his eyes. Yozak grinned widely and nodded and watched as Conrad walked away into the woods and before long he was gone, his shape no longer illuminated by the light of the fire.
Conrad was never the best tracker in the dark but here, in the dead silence of the dark forest, he found it much more difficult. At the slightest sound, the smallest crack of a twig, he'd jump, whirl around, sword raised and prepared to strike only to find it was nothing but a harmless squirrel. This carried on for quite some time and Conrad was getting more and more frustrated and began to think that the person Yozak had seen was long gone when he heard something moving above him, as though someone was walking along the branches of the tree. He turned and stared up into the darkness where he thought he heard the sound and followed it and realized quickly that the person was literally walking in circles around him.
"What kind of game is this?" Conrad said, quietly, more to himself than anyone else but it earned him a laugh from the person above, a musical laugh that sounded strange in the dark of the forest.
"It's a very fun game!" the person above said gleefully. "A very fun game indeed! Even more fun because you came alone! I was worried for a bit that when you came you'd bring that strawberry friend of yours."
"Who are you?" Conrad said, mentally loathing the fact that he couldn't see who he was speaking to. "Why are you following us?"
"Not 'us.' You!"
Conrad frowned. So Yozak was right. This person had a fixation on him. "Why me? What do you want?"
"Ohhhh, I can't say! That'd be telling and if I tell then the game is over and what fun would that be?"
"I don't have the patience to play you're little game!" Conrad yelled, clutching the hilt of his sword tightly. "My little brother was attacked recently. The King's fiancé. Tell me, did you have something to do with it?"
"Oh, no, no! Of course not. Not at all."
Conrad scowled. This person spoke in such a way that it was hard to tell his sarcasm from his normal tone. "Show yourself to me. Come down here and face me with honor."
There was a pause.
"Mmmm, okay!" And suddenly behind Conrad, the person dropped down from the trees and landed gracefully and Conrad whirled around, stunned. He thought he'd been facing the person, how had he appeared behind him? Conrad's sword was pointed at him instantly and he took a few steps back and surveyed the person in front of him. Yozak had been correct about their build for he was only a few inches taller than Yuuri and he was lean and pale with short strawberry blond hair that stood out in the darkness. What also jumped out at Conrad and made him raise his eyebrows was the person's attire. A pale yellow undershirt with long sleeves underneath a black vest, and he wore black pants and a black hat and he was smiling Conrad as though he knew exactly what Conrad was thinking and was highly amused by it. "They say black is a royal color, one made for kings and queens… I think that's pretty silly, it's just a color after all!" His grin grew wider here. "And it's a color I like so I wear it! I think I work it well. It's a good thing you're little brother isn't here to see me, though, he'd think I was stealing his king away, wouldn't he?"
"He'd think you were disrespecting His Majesty, which you are," Conrad said forcefully.
The boy shrugged, clearly uninterested in the matter and so Conrad continued. "What business do you have with me? And tell me truthfully, did you have any involvement with the attack on Wolfram von Bielefeld!"
The boy shook his head. "I told you, no. I don't. I have no reason to attack him, it doesn't benefit me in anyway."
"If you aren't involved, do you know who is behind it?"
"I have an idea."
"Tell me!"
The boy took a moment to ponder this over before he grinned again and winked at Conrad. "It's a secret!"
Conrad's patience was growing very, very thin. "Alright, then," he said through gritted teeth, "if you weren't involved in Wolfram's attack and you aren't here to harm His Majesty, then what is it you're after?"
"I already told you!" he said with exasperation, throwing up his arms. "I'm here for you!"
"What do you mean, here for me?! Why?"
"Because I'm on," he lowered his voice suddenly, "a secret mission. And for the first time," he said normally, "my mission coincides with yours so I thought to myself, 'why not go see what Conrart is doing?' And here I am."
Conrad blinked. "A mission? For what?"
"I'm looking for something."
"Looking for what?"
"Something important."
"I figured that."
"Then why did you ask?"
"I was hoping for specifics."
"Oh. Well. Too bad, it's a secret!"
"Right then, fine. I still don't see what this has to do with me? I don't even know you! Tell me you're name!"
"My name…?" The boy tilted his head to the side and blinked as though he didn't understand what was being asked of him. "My name. Yes. My name, name, what's in a name?"
"Tell me."
"Really, Master," came a voice suddenly from behind Conrad, up in the trees and he spun around, sword raised once more. Where had another person come from?! "You should just humor him, the poor man seems so confused and fidgety."
"Yeaaaaaah, I guess so," the boy said.
"Show yourself!" Conrad called to the person in the tree and he quickly had to step back as not a person but an animal leapt down and stood before him. It was a fox, a regular looking red fox. But the moment Conrad made eye-contact with the creature he knew it wasn't normal at all because the thing smiled at him, almost apologetically.
"Please forgive me," the creature said, "but this is my master's will."
"Oh, don't apologize, Anselm!" The boy called but Conrad barely heard it.
"You've got a fox as your familiar," he said, lamely, looking between the animal and its master. "A talking fox."
"Anselm isn't a familiar!" The boy said, placing his hands on his hips. "He's my best friend! And stop calling me master," he added to the fox who only shook his head.
"I've never seen such a thing. Are you not from this country?"
"No, I'm a Mazoku from Shin Makoku," the boy said, blinking at Conrad as though he thought that was the dumbest question in the universe.
"Then what do you want with me?!" Conrad said once again, mentally promising that if this blond person didn't give him a proper answer this time he'd hit something. Preferably the boy in question but he'd settle for a tree. Maybe.
"Make up your mind, do you want my name or what do you want from me?"
"I WANT YOUR NAME and I'd like to know what you want with me!" Conrad yelled, half a second away from just slicing the boy where he stood.
"Oh, well, then."
And suddenly Conrad felt a blade being pressed to his back. "Let's get on with it then," the boy whispered and Conrad was suddenly thrown forward and he turned quickly to find the boy had a sword drawn and seemed to be prepared to duel him. "Good job, Anselm!" he called to the fox, who moved away to stand amongst the trees to watch from a safe distance. "You distracted him perfectly!"
Conrad blinked quickly, trying to figure out what had just happened. How had this person gotten so close to him without him noticing?
And he was fast, too, for Conrad barely had time to register hat he had even moved before he had to bring his sword up to block the assault. And it continued on, the blond striking and Conrad defending. Every now and then there was an opening and Conrad make a lunge but the younger always managed to twist away. The way he moved, it was like he was dancing and Conrad saw it as nothing more than a mockery. He just wouldn't hold still! But he was also, Conrad noticed, very repetitive. His movements very rarely were varied, it was just the same routine over and over again and the more he did it the more Conrad was able to counter and soon they were equal, one neither having the upper hand over the other and they came to a standstill.
"You're finished," Conrad growled as he pushed his blade against that of the blond, who was grinning at him over their locked weapons. "There's nothing you can do to surprise me now."
"Oh, is that so?" he replied and before Conrad even knew what was happening, the smaller one had swung his sword out wide, sending Conrad reeling back but the boy reached forward and grabbed him by his arm, pushing forward to keep the weapon away from himself for a moment. And then he let go of Conrad's arm and gave Conrad quite a surprise.
He threw his arms around Conrad's neck and kissed him full on the mouth.
Conrad froze, his mind going blank and his body going numb as the blond pressed forward, deepening the one-sided kiss and Conrad could hear a faint buzzing in the back of his head as he tried to register just what was going on.
Blond boy with pet fox had been stalking him. Okay, got that.
Conrad smartly went to investigate. Check.
Blond boy had infuriated Conrad. Check, check, and check.
They fought. Alright, Conrad was still following for the most part.
Blond boy kissed Conrad out of the blue.
Nope, that last one was still not making any sense in the grand scheme of things.
And just as suddenly as the kiss had started it was over and Conrad blinked rapidly. He looked up and saw the boy standing, perfectly balanced (how was that even possible?) on a tree branch, Anselm the fox at his side. "Well, then, I've gotten what I came here for. Best get back to work," he said, grinning at Conrad, who just stared blankly back at him. "And since you asked," the boy added, "you can call me Basil."
And then he was gone.
Several minutes later Conrad returned to camp and ignored Yozak when he questioned him about what had happened. Instead, he just positioned himself back into his place on guard duty and stared off into the distance for a few minutes before he stood and shot a glare at Yozak and informed him that he was going to bed. And he went to sleep knowing that that obnoxious smile would haunt him in his dreams but at the same time, his mind was racing.
After all, that person – or Basil, rather – had said he hadn't been involved in the attack on Wolfram.
And yet there had been something distinctly… magical about him. In the way he moved, in his speed, it wasn't normal, it wasn't natural, and it wasn't something that normal Mazoku could do.
Which may or may not mean, Conrad thought as he settled down for sleep, that we have more than just one enemy who possess this strange magic that even Ulrike and the Great Sage don't know…
And that certainly wasn't a comforting thought to fall asleep to.
End chapter three.
So I lied, this chapter ended up being shorter than the last. Oh well. I decided that I wanted this was the best place to end it. If I continued on with the next scene this chapter would have been like… ridiculous. This was really the best place to end, yes.
On that note, Basil… was not originally intended to be introduced this early. But I changed my mind last minute and decided to bring him in sooner so I could play with him more. He'll appear sporadically throughout the story.
Anyway, sorry for the wait on this chapter! I'm sure it certainly doesn't live up to the expectations people had and I apologize for that. I enjoyed writing it, though (especially the Conrad v. Basil sequence, which was fun.) So I hope you guys still like it and I promise the wait for the next chapter won't be this long. And hopefully it'll be a longer chapter; I feel lame writing short chapters like this one. :
ANYWAY. As far as criticism goes; I'm looking mainly at characterization here. How did I do on keeping them in-character? That, to me, is my biggest concern and any help and hints would be greatly appreciated.
Chapter four: The Sirens' Song of the Sea
Comments are loved, constructive criticism appreciated, and flames will be laughed at. If you must flame me, at least put some effort into it. I need a good laugh. 8D