Just a quick note: I never did get to watch past about episode 20 of KKM (I will one day but just haven't yet). This, of course means, that I'm missing a heap of standard knowledge that most fans no longer even think about and nothing I do in this universe can possibly be called cannon. So please forgive me if I make something up that's very much untrue compared to cannon. I'm just trying to entertain and, in the case of the KKM universe, meet the challenges I was set by various things (coughValcough).
For Love of a Plushie
It was a normal day in the castle. The sun was shining outside, the Maou was playing catch with his bodyguard and Günter von Kleist was looking for the Maou who was playing catch. All in all, a typical Spring day. If the honourable Gwendal von Walde had a tremor of foreboding, well, he kept it to himself and simply accepted that nothing he could do would stop the arrival of that force of nature known as Anissina von Khrennikov. This did not mean that he was prepared to go down without a fight. Never that.
He simply made plans.
Gwendal von Walde was a superb planner.
Günter was too, but he was oblivious to his danger.
Konrad Weller was not oblivious, but neither he nor Yuuri were in any actual danger. Not to mention he had a bet with Wolfram that needed to be settled.
And so Anissina descended upon Ketsumei Castle (?).
It was a violent arrival, one occasioning much pain on the part of Gwendal. He was a seasoned warrior, however, and could bear such trivial hurts. It was the disguised attacks that would be the problem. So it was then that he accepted the ear-splitting shriek of greeting and the headlock and the noogie. They were only small bruises to his dignity, unfortunately made worse by his decision to take them out in the castle corridors rather than in the privacy of his office. It was all in the plan, though.
He had a very hairy moment when Anisinna started speaking to him of her brilliant invention being the perfect gift for Gwendal. There was no one else within reach, everyone wisely having evacuated after the first shriek. They would no doubt return after the inevitable selection for a guinea pig had been completed. With no one in sight, Gwendal went through a moment of such heart stopping dread that not even a battlefield could inspire, and then the first seeking call echoed around the corner.
Gwendal heaved an unobtrusive sigh of relief as his tormentor's ears literally pricked up at the sound of Günter calling for the Maou.
Poor Günter, he really should know better than to hold to such a predictable schedule.
He shouldn't make so much noise either.
He'd definitely escape Anissina's clutches more often and would probably have more luck capturing the Maou as well.
In any case, Anissina needed to hear no more than that forlorn cry before she pounced upon her new prey, dragging Gwendal along behind her. Poor Günter. Not that Gwendal felt too much sympathy; he was not quite out of danger yet.
When Günter, too, was held in Anissina's supposedly benign claws, Gwendal was grimly amused to see the re-emergence of the rest of the castle's inhabitants. After all, it was well known that if Gwendal plus Anissina equalled fun; that meant Gwendal, plus Günter, plus Anissina equalled a whole afternoon's worth of entertainment.
He was resigned to note that both Wolfram and Konrad had appeared to witness whatever debacle Anissina was about to perpetrate. The Maou was, as ever, in between them.
Ah, his beloved brothers. He could depend upon them to do anything for him. Fight at his side, suffer through depredations, even die… anything but protect him from Anissina. Not that Gwendal could blame them. Should their situations have been reversed, he certainly would not have stepped in. Instead he would have watched with the same dumbstruck disbelief or, in Konrad's case, hidden amusement. Perhaps Gwendal was being uncharitable towards his brothers… but he doubted it.
Konrad was honourable, loyal and noble, yes. But he was also sneaky, cunning, and ruthless. Traits that made him the perfect bodyguard for the young Maou were not so appreciated in one's younger brother.
Konrad's shortcomings aside, Anissina soon had both Günter and Gwendal situated in the courtyard, their rapt audience trailing after them. Then it began.
"This is my new Magic-Powered-Plushie-Provider!" Anissina announced gaily, "It will magically produce the user's ideal plushie with only a thought. All they have to do is put on the headset."
Gwendal looked at the monstrosity she had dubbed the headset and winced. No good could come of this.
Anissina frowned at him, put out because of his blatant distrust for something that she had made specifically for him. She muttered, "Ingrate," and turned to her second-favourite guinea pig instead. "Think about it Günter, any plushie you could imagine…"
Gwendal was quite sure that he was not alone in catching Günter's longing glance at the Maou. That was enough permission for Anissina, without waiting for him to come to his senses; she slapped the 'headset' onto Günter's head and flipped a switch.
For a moment, Gwendal had the hopeful impression that nothing whatsoever was going to happen. Of course, he could never be so lucky and, after apparently draining all of Günter's energy to no effect, Günter collapsed in exhaustion and the contraption exploded into light and noise. Everything the machine was touching was covered in a brilliant rainbow of colour. Including Günter.
Poor Günter.
When the cacophony had died away, there was indeed a plushie there, waiting for them. Gwendal doubted it was Günter's idea of the cutest plushie, that would be a little stuffed Maou, but Anissina started to puff up proudly. Then she noticed what Gwendal already had, that there was a plushie, but no Günter. The fact that it happened to be a life sized Günter plushie, in Günter's seat, did not escape anyone's notice either.
Gwendal clapped his hands to his head as his headache became a migraine.
oo00oo
Yuuri regarded Konrad quizzically for a moment before he shook his head. "What?" he repeated, for the third time.
Konrad smiled at the young man in amusement. He supposed news of Günter and Gwendal's engagement was cause enough to startle even a Maou. Not that Yuuri was very difficult to startle. "Günter proposed to Gwendal this morning, after Anissina reversed the plushie transformation."
Yuuri blinked at him, startled. "That's why Gwendal had a black eye?!" the Maou exclaimed loudly in realisation.
Konrad considered his brother, then his brother's love for anything cute, and then he thought about how Günter had actually spent the last twenty-four hours and decided that he was not about to enlighten his naïve charge. He smiled at Yuuri and threw the ball back. Life was good. It was Spring, Gwendal was engaged, and Wolfram owed him three days with Yuuri to himself.
When would his younger brother learn never to bet against him?