How this Land was Made
Summary: The day of Yuuri and Wolfram's wedding approaches. As they prepare to speak the vows that open the door to a new life together, Conrad reflects on the time he spent adventuring in Dai Shimaron with a true friend… Yuuram and Conzak.
Warnings: Same kind of violence seen on the show, swordfighting and the like. Sex, not graphic.
Disclaimer: The characters and setting of Kyou Kara Maou do not belong to me.
Author's Note: This story jumps between the present and the past, from Yuuri's wedding to a time around 20 years prior.
Chapter 1: An Unwelcome Realization
Come closer, child, and listen well,
And I will tell you how this land was made,
For kings and queens and man may fade,
But not the reason for which they dwell
There were streamers, minstrels, jugglers, and ribbons. There were pastries, kegs of wine, bright lights, and carriages. There was even a sand bear. For Wolfram had spared no expense for the wedding. His wedding.
A romance years in the making had finally blossomed between Yuuri and his fiancé. At first too sheltered by the traditions of his own culture to accept his feelings for another man, it had taken Yuuri a long time to come around and to return Wolfram's affections. But at long last, Yuuri had apparently gained courage and searched himself to find the truth: He loved Wolfram, and was prepared to live out the rest of his years with his soon-to-be Prince Consort. This was an even that surprised many people, no one more than Wolfram himself.
"Hey, you! Straighten out that tablecloth! Everything has to be perfect for our wedding!" His hand gripped the hilt of his sword as he pointed and dashed to and fro.
"Wolfram, calm down! Go relax in another room or something, they'll get it right," Yuuri cried as he chased his fiancé around the room.
"Yuuri, our marriage is forever! If we truly love each other, this wedding should be an expression of that!"
In the middle of the room sat a huge platform that must have been ten feet in diameter. It was to seat the wedding cake to end all wedding cakes. Twenty cooks had been brought in from around the country to prepare it. Wolfram had only seen one wedding cake, but he was certain that this one would be the best cake ever made.
He feverishly fussed and harassed the servants into complete and utter perfection. And while Wolfram would have claimed that it was only to give his beloved fiancé the best, to show his complete and utter love and devotion, deep inside Wolfram knew the real reason: It had to be perfect because otherwise, he feared that the fantasy would end, that Yuuri would come to his senses and insist on them remaining only friends. Wolfram had spent years attempting to badger Yuuri into loving him. Were Yuuri's newfound affections sincere? And while Wolfram was not foolish enough to really believe that straightened tablecloths and a giant wedding cake would somehow convince Yuuri that he had made the right choice, he felt oddly compelled to bend over backwards ensuring that this was the best day of his fiancé's life.
Above it all, on a parapet that overlooked the reception room, stood Conrad. He watched the proceedings, knowing better to get in Wolfram's way while he was preparing for his big day. There would be plenty of time to congratulate them later… but for now, he was busy remembering.
It had all gone by so fast. From the day he first rescued Yuuri at the border of the kingdom… and even farther back, when he was but a small light in the palm of Conrad's hand… had he really grown up? Was he ready to take the next step? Would he even need Conrad anymore? Conrad was not jealous, nor angry. Rather, he felt like a proud father who suddenly realized that his child was grown, and could stand on his own two feet.
Below, on the ground, Yuuri was running back and forth trying to calm Wolfram down. He tripped over a box of tablecloths and face-planted on the ground. Conrad smiled. Perhaps he wasn't quite grown up. Maybe he never would be, not totally.
"So, the kiddo is finally getting married, eh?"
Conrad nodded, not turning to see Josak standing behind him.
"What's the matter, captain? Upset that the kiddo is tying the knot?"
"No… I am happy for him. Wolfram loves him very much, and they are good for each other."
"Still, you gotta be a little jealous. Who is going to need you to be a hero all the time now?" Josak smirked.
Conrad frowned. "I don't feel like much of a hero."
"In his eyes, you are."
Conrad looked down. "Then I guess, in his imagination, I always will be."
"Yeah, you don't get someone as naive as that often around these parts."
Conrad looked at the palm of his hand. He could almost see the soul in the phial, and remembered his desire to smash it on a rock.
"No, you don't."
There was one day a beggar who came
To the steps of a palace grand
This was before we knew this land
Before Shimaron was its name
The bell on the shop door rang as the door opened and closed. A large, burly man with jet black hair entered the shop. He looked to the back, past the shelves of books sold there to a young, brown-haired man wearing glasses. He was sitting in a chair, with a pen behind his ear, engrossed in some book or another. The burly man moved his eyes to the counter, where a… strong-looking woman was engaging the shopkeeper in idle conversation. She flashed him a wink and pursed her very red lips. If the burly man had been more in tune with fashion, he would have said that she wore the wrong shade of lipstick. Instead, he just felt that she looked like a man.
He had no time for games. He needed to buy parchment. He approached the counter and asked for a specific and expensive kind from the shopkeeper. He did not notice the woman slip a piece of paper out of her breast. As the shopkeeper placed the parchment on the counter, the woman stealthily compared the two. They were a match.
The woman smiled, brushed back her hair, and glanced to the side at the young man in the chair. The young man took the pen out from behind his ear and placed it in his mouth. The woman nodded subtly. The burly man noticed none of this, but did notice when the woman knocked a bottle of ink onto the floor.
"Oops, my mistake." She giggled. "Say, you wouldn't mind picking that up for me, would you, sweetheart?"
"I don't think you need any help picking anything up, not with those huge muscles and giant man-hands of yours," the burly man said with a growl as he turned to leave.
"Why… I have never suffered such… rudeness in my life!" The woman gasped, her hands folded over her lips dramatically.
The burly man heard an audible sigh coming from the back of the room. He turned around and strode towards the young man, who was still seated in his chair, looking annoyed.
"And what are you sighing for, idiot? What, is that your girlfriend? Well, maybe you need better glasses, then." And with that, he grabbed the young man's glasses off of his face and broke them between his burly fingers. It was on.
Swoop! With one quick motion, Josak Gurrier stole the man's wallet and ran for it, taking a left out of the door.
"What the-" the burly main straightened up, surprised… Only to be pulled down again as Conrad stood, grabbed his collar, jerked him down, and punched his teeth out.
The man fell to the floor. Conrad stepped over his whimpering body and deposited some coin on the counter, walking out with the book he had been reading under his arm. He walked in the opposite direction of his friend, and hoped that guy was going after Josak. He deserved it.
