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: 1/(?)
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: Let's start taking bets on whether Alice will actually finish a multi-chaptered story for the first time since her fanfiction writing career started back in… 2001? Ahahaha. ♥

Chapter One: Cease Fire

"Is all this really necessary?" the young king asked, sheepishly, dark eyes roaming around the ball room and taking in all the extravagant decorations being set up. A bit too extravagant for his taste. "I mean, I understand that the king's birthday is an important event here, but this seems like a little much."

He turned to look at his lilac haired advisor, who opened his mouth to respond, when a voice from behind them cut in.

"You act as though this party is actually for you, wimp."

Yuuri whirled around, brow furrowed to face the blond prince, who was observing the room with interest. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Wolfram tapped his foot briefly, not looking directly at the king for a moment before finally settling his gaze upon him. "It's not like it's a personal party for you and your close friends. It's more like a ceremony, or rather, an excuse for a large number of powerful nobles to come together and have a ball. So these 'oh-so-extravagant' decorations that you dislike are less for your liking and more to impress the nobles that will be attending."

Yuuri's eyebrows rose at this. "Eh? An excuse? Why do they need an excuse?"

He received an eye roll in response. "Unlike you, most nobles and people of power aren't lazy and actually have duties and such that they need to attend to and carry out, which doesn't leave a whole lot of time for fun. A celebration in honor of the king, however, is a perfect excuse to take time off of work and spend a night socializing and enjoying themselves."

"Oh," Yuuri said, blinking. "That… makes sense, I guess. Is that true, though, Günter?"

He turned once more to look at his advisor, who seemed to be recovering from the shock at being so rudely cut off, but the moment he was directly addressed by his king, he brightened considerably, though he tried to maintain his professional appearance, at least while they were in the company of the maids and workers putting effort into making the ballroom look fabulous. He nodded, vigorously, before speaking. "Unfortunately, Your Majesty, that is very much the case. Very few of the guests attending the ball are coming strictly to celebrate your birthday, though many will most likely put on an act to indicate otherwise when in your presence. Most are just looking for a reason to come and enjoy themselves, as Lord von Bielefeld stated." Wolfram nodded, satisfied with Günter's response.

The king scratched his head, glancing around at the people rushing around the room, trying to prepare everything for the event coming in less than a week's time. "Well… I suppose, if that's the case, then this isn't so bad. Not really my style, but if it'll make the guests happy, then I'm fine with it."

Günter clapped his hands together in excitement. "That is most excellent news, Your Majesty! I shall continue to oversee the preparations as usual, then! You are most considerate to sacrifice your personal preferences for the good of your guests! I am so privileged to be in-"

He was cut off by Wolfram once again, who didn't even seem to notice that Günter was speaking at the moment. "We need to discuss some things about the ball, wimp. Come with me."

Yuuri opened his mouth to protest but before he could get a word out, Wolfram had grabbed him by the wrist and was dragging him out of the ballroom, with Günter sputtering behind them.

Shibuya Yuuri had come to expect a great many things in his time in Shin Makoku; being dragged around the castle by a frustrated Wolfram was one of them. And in his time he'd learned the best way to cope with the prince's somewhat aggressive tendencies was generally to just shut up and bear it. He was less likely to get killed that way. So as Wolfram pulled him through various corridors and past several maids and servants who shot them sneaky smiles and girlish giggles, Yuuri kept silent and waited for it to be over.

They reached their shared bedroom without any incidents and Wolfram pulled Yuuri inside, quickly shutting the door behind him. He released the king's wrist and leaned heavily against the door, looking the confused boy up and down. Finally, he broke the silence. "So… how much do you know about our costumes concerning balls such as this? Or should I say, how much did you actually bother to pay attention too?"

There was a pause. "Umm… well, there's lots of guests, many of whom I need to greet personally, and uuuuuuh, there'll be food and drink and. Um. Yeah, that's all I know." He scratched the back of his neck, sheepishly, and gave Wolfram an attempt at a grin, which was repaid with a glare.

"So you don't know about the dance, then?"

The king blinked. "Uh. Dance?"

Wolfram let out a frustrated sigh and brought his hand to his head to massage his temple. "Yes, you wimp! The dance! It's typical at a ball for there to be dancing, and you, as the king and guest of honor, are supposed to start the dance off!"

Yuuri's eyes widened and he stared at Wolfram as though he'd grown a second head. "Me?! I'm supposed to start off? Why?"

"I just told you! You're the king and it's your birthday! It's only natural that you start off the dance. You and your partner dance in the center of the ballroom while everyone watches and then other couples join in and that's how it goes! That's not complicated to understand."

There was another pause as Yuuri narrowed his eyes at Wolfram. "Partner?"

"What, do you intend to waltz with yourself? Of course you're going to have a dancing partner!"

"And I assume that's going to be you?"

"Who else would it be?"

Yuuri sighed. So this was why Wolfram wanted to talk to him. He could have guessed. "Wolfram… are you sure about this?"

"Why, are you incapable of dancing?"

"No! I'll have you know I can dance just fine!"

Wolfram crossed his arms and frowned at Yuuri. "What's the problem, then?"

Yuuri opened his mouth to retort but stopped himself and shut it, mentally heaving a sigh. He gave Wolfram a pitiful frown, which earned him an eye-roll. "Really, wimp, don't you know anything? As your fiancé, it is expected that I be your dancing partner. Do you realize the kind of slander that I would receive if you were to dance with another? Especially in the presence of my family?"

"Oh… you're right," Yuuri said, eyes widening as realization hit him. The embarrassment to Wolfram and his family name if the man he was engaged to refused to be seen dancing with him would not go over well. Not well at all. "I… see your point. I guess… I'll just have to dance with you then." He shot Wolfram a serious look. "But only one dance, Wolfram! I don't really like dancing all that much to begin with, so I think that's all I'd really be in the mood for anyway. I'd much rather go around and socialize."

Wolfram snorted. "You would." He used his shoulder to push himself off the wall and he strode forward, his eyes remaining on Yuuri. "That's fine; I'm not going to force you to dance with me the whole night. Just one dance is all I ask."

Yuuri nodded. "Good, now that that's cleared up, is it okay if I go?"

Wolfram nodded and Yuuri mentally let out a whoop and rushed past him. When his hand grasped the doorknob, he heard Wolfram call his name and glanced over his shoulder at the blond. "What?"

Wolfram stared at him intently for a moment before shaking his head. "Pay more attention to Günter from now on. I don't want to have to explain every little aspect of our culture to you all the time when it's his job to teach it to you, and by extension, your job to listen and learn. Honestly…"

"Ehehehe," Yuuri laughed, embarrassed. He nodded. "I'll definitely look into that," he said quickly, before turning, and throwing open the door and heading out.

"Why are there so many frilly cuffs on this?"

"Because that is the fashion generally worn to this type of gathering, your majesty."

"Why?"

"Because that is the fashion of the time, your majesty. The current, how would you call it? The current 'trend.'"

"People actually like wearing this sort of thing?"

"Yes, your majesty."

A sigh. "It's Yuuri."

A chuckle. "Of course, your majesty."

"CONRAD!"

"I'm sorry, your maj- Yuuri." Another chuckle and another sigh.

Yuuri turned from where he was standing in front of the mirror and shot a pout at his Godfather, who was leaning against the wall near to the door, already fully dressed for the occasion. "I look ridiculous," he exclaimed, throwing his arms out to fully show his outfit. It was black, as per usual, with several white frill trimmings and cuffs, and looked all around goofy. Conrad let out a laugh and shook his head.

"Don't worry about it, I know for an absolute fact that there will be people attending here tonight who look far more ridiculous than you do, Yuuri."

"Yes, well, they aren't the ones who have to go and greet everyone and have everybody's eyes on them," Yuuri commented, turning back to the mirror and pulling at his collar. "This is really acceptable? Really?"

Conrad laughed again, nodding. "Perfectly! Honestly, Yuuri, it's fine. Wolfram probably has more frills, if that's what you're concerned about."

Yuuri sighed and nodded, running his hands down his overcoat, smoothing out any wrinkles. "I guess… by the way, is Wolfram ready, do you know?"

Conrad remained silent for a moment before shaking his head. "I wouldn't know, I haven't had the opportunity to see him. I doubt he'd want me checking in on him, but I suspect he's ready or getting ready. He was looking forward to this, and knows how important it's supposed to be, so I doubt he'd risk being late."

The king tugged on his collar once more for good measure before glancing over his shoulder at the other man. He remained silent for a moment before speaking up in a quiet voice. "Conrad… why do you let Wolfram treat you the way he does?"

Conrad didn't respond at first and stared hard at the ground. Yuuri was about to open his mouth to repeat the question when he raised his head and spoke, slowly. "I'd rather be acknowledged in a negative light than not be acknowledged at all."

Yuuri blinked at him, confused. "So… what, you'd rather he be rude to you, yell at you, and tell you he hates you rather than not speak to you at all?"

"That's exactly right."

"Why? Why would you put yourself through that?"

"You're very inquisitive tonight, Yuuri."

"That's not answering the question."

Conrad sighed and brought a hand up to rub his neck. "I suppose it gives him hope that there's still a chance to reconcile. If he didn't speak to me at all, didn't acknowledge me, there'd be no hope. As long as he still speaks to me, even if it is in the way that he does, he still notices me. He knows that I'm here. And that gives me hope."

There was a somewhat uncomfortable silence between them as Yuuri turned this information over in his mind. "That's… that's sad, Conrad."

Conrad's eyebrows rose.

"No, no! Not sad in a 'that's pathetic' way, sad in a 'that's depressing' way."

"I don't look at it that way."

"That's weird."

Conrad shrugged. "In any case, I think it's almost time to be heading down. Ready?"

Yuuri nodded, giving himself one last disgruntled look in the mirror. "Yes… I'm perfectly prepared to go down and embarrass myself in this outfit."

Conrad chuckled, finally moving forward and placing a comforting hand on the young king's shoulder. "I'm sure they'll love it. They'll love you. I'm sure the von Bielefelds at the very least will be entertained."

"Yeah, I'm sure they- … WAIT!" Yuuri whirled around to face Conrad, his eyes wide. "The von Bielefelds?! You mean Wolfram's father?!"

Yuuri could have sworn he saw Conrad visibly flinch and his hands clenched into fists at his side, but it passed quickly and he relaxed and Yuuri couldn't be sure if he'd truly seen it happen or not. "Ah, no, but it is his father's family. The head of the von Bielefeld family, Amalric von Bielefeld, and his two children will be attending this evening."

"Oh… that's his uncle and cousins, then? Why isn't his father coming?"

Conrad stared intently at the floor for a moment before speaking, slowly and calculatedly. "His father died when Wolfram was still very young."

"Oh…" was all Yuuri could manage to say. He hadn't known, had barely even acknowledged the fact that Wolfram had a father, and this piece of information explained quite possibly a lot. He knew Conrad's father was long gone, and had assumed the same for Gwendal's, but he'd never dwelled on the whereabouts or existence of Wolfram's.

"Even if he was alive," Conrad muttered to himself, low enough that the king couldn't hear him, "I doubt he'd attend anyway." He raised his gaze up and gave Yuuri a reassuring smile. "They tend to be busy quite a lot of the time, but Amalric and his family are lovely people so I'm sure you'll enjoy meeting them, and they you. Come on, it's time to head down."

Yuuri nodded, and gulped, a feeling of dread settling over him as he marched towards the door, determined. Conrad opened the door for him, a look of amusement on his face, and followed him out after closing the door. They made their way through the various winding halls of the castle towards the ballroom, and Yuuri, possibly in an attempt to distract himself from thoughts of what was to come, continued to bombard Conrad with questions. "So who else is coming?" he asked, as they turned a corner. "I know you told me Lord von Wincott and Stoffel and Raven will be here, but what about Anissina's family? Günter's family? Or Lady Flynn?"

"Anissina's older brother was scheduled to attend but it's my understanding that he has been feeling under the weather lately and was unable to make the trip. Anissina won't be here, either, as she staying behind to look after him. Lady Flynn will be in attendance. As for the von Kleists… it'll just be Günter and Gisela, as per usual."

"Does Günter even have any other family?"

"Yes." The one word answer was enough to tell Yuuri that he wasn't likely to get any more information than that, and though he was interested, he felt, for the time being, it was good to leave it at that. And it wasn't as though he had that much of a choice; they'd reached the doors to the ballroom.

Two guards were stationed at the doors, fully armed and alert, but they both bowed deeply before the king and a quick, "Welcome, your majesty," before they opened the doors to allow Yuuri and his Godfather into the elaborately decorated ballroom. Yuuri took a deep breath and with a gentle push forward from Conrad, took a step into the room. Without warning, trumpets blared on either side of him and he let out a startled gasp and looked around, eyes wide, and Günter, who apparently had been standing at the door waiting for Yuuri to arrive, announced in a loud, excited voice for all to hear, "PRESENTING HIS ROYAL MAJESTY, SHIBUYA YUURI, THE 27th MAOU OF SHIN MAKOKU. And Conrart Weller, the Lion of Lüttenburg," he added, shooting a glance and nod at Conrad, who seemed taken aback at being announced in such a way.

"Um, thank you, Günter," Yuuri said, nodding at the advisor, who let out a swoon of joy at the acknowledgement from the king. Yuuri scratched the back of his neck, already embarrassed, and turned to face the crowd of people gathered in the hall, all of whom had looked up at the sound of the trumpets, and many of whom seemed to be preparing themselves to bombard the king. He leaned back, closer to Conrad and whispered, frantic, "I'm not going to have to make a speech or something now, am I?"

"Lucky for you, no, though you are expected to personally greet all your guests," Conrad replied, looking down at Yuuri with sympathy.

Yuuri sighed. "Well, that's better than having to do a speech at least," he said, and that seemed reasonable in his head. "Okay, where do I start?"

"Well, here comes Wolfram, so I believe he'll be the one accompanying you. I'm going to speak with Gwendal now, but call me if you need me for anything."

Yuuri quickly caught sight of the blond prince walking towards them and nodded. "Alright… enjoy yourself, Conrad."

"You as well, Yuuri." He bowed, briefly, before disappearing into the crowd to find Gwendal. Wolfram was at Yuuri's side in another moment.

Wolfram, as Conrad had predicted, had more frills than Yuuri did. He was wonderfully dressed in a blue overcoat with a white undershirt (complete with collar and frills, frills, frills) and blue trousers. It didn't look that far off from his normal uniform, but far more formal and 'pretty.' It was in moments like these that Yuuri was reminded that Wolfram really was his mother's son. "Alright, wimp, time to start greetings the guests. As your escort, I'll naturally be accompanying you."

Yuuri grinned, shyly. "Yeah, alright." Wolfram could be a bit overbearing at times, and the word 'escort' made Yuuri inwardly flinch (as did the word 'wimp,') but at least he wouldn't have to go through with this alone.

The next hour or so was a bit of a blur for Yuuri and Wolfram. They moved very little, as every few minutes another noble and their entire family would appear to shake Yuuri's hand and have a short chat with him about a great many things Yuuri hardly understood, but he nodded all the same and smiled and pretended he did. They had a brief exchange with Lord von Wincott, as well as Lady Flynn, both of whom Yuuri was thrilled to see and spoke to just a little bit longer. When the line of guests coming to greet them started to slow down, Yuuri and Wolfram moved their way around the ballroom to where the beverages were being served but before they could get there, they were cut off by a high-pitched squeal of delight and a loud yell of, "COUSIN WOLFY!" Before Wolfram could even turned around, a girl about his age with long, straight blonde hair, propelled herself at him and enveloped him in a tight hug. "It's been so long since last I saw you, how are you?! Oh, well, you must be alright, you're engaged to his majesty! Is that thrilling? I've heard a lot about the kinds of adventures you two go on, ooooh, it must be so exciting!"

"Cousin Freya," Wolfram greeted, somewhat breathless from having her crash into him, and raised his hand to pat her on the head awkwardly. "It's… nice to see you too."

She released him and stepped back and Yuuri got his first real look at another member of Wolfram's family. She looked a lot like him, though her hair was straight and flat where Wolfram's had bounce to it, but other than that the family resemblance was all too clear, down to the same green eyes. And Yuuri noted, with a bit of surprise, that Wolfram's father must have really been a good looking guy as well, if his side of the family was just as lovely as Lady Cheri's.

And she didn't even seem to notice Yuuri was there. Fantastic.

"Where are Cousin Isaak and Uncle Amalric?" Wolfram asked, looking around for the rest of his family, curiously.

Freya tilted her head to the side, thinking for a moment before she snapped her fingers and answered excitedly. "Father and big brother said they were going to go greet Lady Cheri and Lord von Voltaire and Lord Weller before coming to see you! That was awhile ago, though, sooooo they should be here soon." She twirled a lock of hair around her finger absent-mindedly for a moment before she suddenly seemed to notice Yuuri standing there next to Wolfram, looking a tad bit lost and confused. She whirled to face him fully and clapped her hands together in excitement, a smile spreading across her face. "You must be his majesty, yes? Hello! I'm Freya von Bielefeld; it's a pleasure to finally meet you!" At this she bowed, deeply, before shooting back up into a straight position and not missing a beat. "Like I told Cousin Wolf, I heard a lot about your adventures! You sound like a very brave king!" Yuuri could have sworn he saw genuine stars in her eyes in that moment.

And in another instant it was gone and she was back to chattering away at Wolfram. Both Wolfram and Yuuri were only half listening to what she was saying and nodded whenever it felt appropriate to do so. Yuuri was far too concerned with the impending dread of the upcoming dance, and Wolfram kept glancing around, presumably to look for his uncle and other cousin. After a few minutes, a grin spread across his face and Yuuri followed his line of vision and saw a man and a young man who could only have been a few years older than Yuuri and Wolfram approaching them. The young man looked almost exactly like Freya, but his hair only just brushed his shoulders while Freya's fell down to her knees. The older man looked like an older, graying version of him. The two approached hem and when they were only a few inches away from Freya, she suddenly spun around and let out another excited squeal. "See, see, brother! Look at how much he's grown since last we saw him!!"

Isaak von Bielefeld nodded, and gave his sister a forced grin before raising his head to nod at Wolfram briefly before he and his father both gave their full attention to the king. The older man stepped forward. "Your majesty," he greeted, bowing just as deeply as his daughter had, "it is a joy to finally make your acquaintance. My name is Amalric von Bielefeld, head of the von Bielefeld family and ruler over the region of Bielefeld. This," he indicated to the other man, "is my son and successor, Isaak, and this is my daughter, Freya."

"We are all thrilled to meet you at last," Isaak said, his voice quiet as he took a step forward and also bowed to the king.

"Ahey, it's really nice to meet all of you!" Yuuri said cheerily, smiling at all three of them one-by-one. "It's great to finally meet more of Wolfram's family!"

"I suspect my nephew hasn't mentioned us to you before now, has he," Lord von Bielefeld said, casting a somewhat distressed look at Wolfram, who offered him an apologetic smile in return. "But no matter; what's in the past is in the past and it's time to move on. Now, we don't want to take up too much of your time, so," here he reached out and wrapped an arm around Freya and pulled her close, seemingly to prevent her from escaping and reattaching herself to Wolfram, "I shall take these two and leave you now, though no doubt we shall have time later to truly talk. We shall be staying in the castle for at least another week, if that's alright with you, your majesty."

Yuuri nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, that's fine! Visit as long as you like!"

Lord von Bielefeld grinned, widely, and nodded his thanks. "That is most excellent, your majesty. We shall be seeing you later, then and you too, Wolfram," he said, smiling and nodding at his nephew, who returned the gesture. And with that, he turned and all but dragged a struggling Freya away from the two. Isaak took a moment to smile apologetically at Wolfram before hurrying after his father and sister. A silence settled between Yuuri and Wolfram as they watched the area where the others had disappeared in before finally Yuuri spoke up. "Your family seems nice, Wolf. How come you never mentioned them before?"

Wolfram tugged at the hem of his shirt, seemingly uncomfortable, before he replied. "I just never really thought about it, to be honest. I haven't really spoken to them since I was young, so I didn't feel the need to bring them up."

Yuuri nodded in understanding. "Well, I can't really blame you for that. If I didn't have contact with my family for that long, and carried on living, I'm sure they'd slip my mind too… that's horrible to say, isn't it? But it's true, I guess… I wouldn't really know, I always remember my family, but still, I get it. No worries, Wolf." He turned and grinned that goofy grin at Wolfram, and the blond returned it. He thought for a moment then opened his mouth to ask another question when suddenly everyone who was wandering around the ballroom moved to stand around the wall and the orchestra struck up a slow instrumental piece that was clearly intended to be romantic. Yuuri gulped. "It's time, isn't it?" He looked to Wolfram, who nodded.

"Come on, wimp."

"Don't call me that! Especially not now… kill my confidence…" Yuuri muttered as Wolfram took him by the wrist and pulled him out into the middle of the dance floor. Yuuri glanced around and sure enough, all eyes were on them. He caught sight of Gwendal, who looked somewhat irritated, and Cheri, who was ecstatic, and Günter, who was babbling incoherently, and lastly Conrad, who just gave them a reassuring grin. He also caught sight of Lady Flynn, and Lord von Wincott, and the von Bielefelds, all of whom were watching them with interest. Yuuri let out a breath of air and slowly the two positioned themselves.

And they began to waltz.

It was incredibly awkward; the two couldn't seem to get in sync with each other, Yuuri, trying to lead, far too timid, and Wolfram far too aggressive in his movements, and finding a balance was difficult. But they managed it and before long they were gliding with little trouble around the dance-floor, silent, both trying to put on the air that this was the most natural thing in the world and not a ridiculously awkward experience. Gradually, other dancers joined them on the floor until hardly anyone was left partner-less, but the two couldn't be bothered with them, so caught up in keeping up their brief façade as a happy couple.

After a stretch of silence, Wolfram spoke up, hesitantly. "So… does it feel any different?"

Yuuri blinked at the blond and furrowed his brow. "What do you mean? Does what feel different?"

"Does it feel different now that you're 16?"

He thought on this before shaking his head. "Not really. To be honest I thought there'd be more to it than this. Günter and Conrad both said something about this age being officially an adult or a man or something here so I figured I'd have to do more or make more big decisions."

"Technically you're supposed to be Günter and Gwendal thought it best to delay it until next year. They… don't think you're quite ready yet, and I agree with them, Yuuri."

Another pause. "W-what?! Why don't they think I'm ready? I've gotten better at this job, haven't I?"

"You've gotten better at it, certainly, but there's still so much room to grow, Yuuri. I mean… the biggest problem, according to Günter, is partially because he wants to complete a certain portion of your lessons before you step up and take full responsibility. Also, we all agree that you need to become much more skilled at swordplay. It's not that we don't have faith in you, you just haven't reached your full potential yet and none of us really want to give an incapable king full control of our country."

Yuuri winced at Wolfram's words but let out a defeated sigh. "Yeah, yeah… that's all true, I guess. I do slack off a lot more than I should… but still! I make an effort!"

Wolfram nodded. "You do, and we all appreciate that, but still, you're not ready. We do have faith that you'll be mostly ready in a year time if you buckle down and start actually taking your lessons seriously. You can't just keep running off and avoiding Günter just because he's overbearing and you find it boring. You need to understand the history if you want to have any hope for building a new future, Yuuri."

He knew there was no point arguing with Wolfram, he was completely right. But at the same time, it was so boring! There were much better ways he'd rather spend his time than hauled up in an office with Günter gushing away about some ancient king who slaughtered millions. He could play baseball with Conrad; play with Greta… a number of things. Still, there was no denying the truth in what Wolfram was saying. And if they didn't think Yuuri was ready yet to fully take control… than maybe it was time for Yuuri to, as Wolfram said, buckle down.

Yuuri opened his mouth to respond when the lights dimmed and there were gasps from the guests surrounding them and excited squeals. Wolfram and Yuuri froze. "What… no one mentioned anything about a show?" Yuuri said, excited, looking around for signs of maybe a magician appearing out of no where to pull a rabbit out of a hat.

He stopped when Wolfram clenched his arm. He turned to face the boy, confused, and his confusion doubled when he saw that Wolfram had broken out into a light sweat and his eyes were darting around the hall, alert. "This isn't a show, Yuuri," he hissed, one hand hover over the hilt of his sword. Yuuri blinked and quickly looked around a second time. He could see Conrad, and Gwendal, and anyone else who would know full well whatever was happening was not supposed to be happening, all making their way, slowly and calmly so as to not alarm the other guests, towards Yuuri and Wolfram.

Yuuri's fist clenched. "Wha-what is this, then, Wolfram?"

"I don't know. Just stay close to me."

The others had set themselves up so that it didn't appear to anyone as though they were guarding their king, but at the same time, they were capable of leaping to his rescue on a moments notice should any threat present itself. The other guests were still looking around, and some of them, the older, wiser ones, seemed to have picked up that whatever was going on was not part of the plan, and had begun to usher others, in a stealthy manner, towards the exits. "It's late, time for you to turn in." "You look drunk." "Care for a quick shag?" And other such excuses flittered to Yuuri's ears and he was thankful. There were so many people here, and they all had to be protected, but there was not telling what exactly was going on and to send the crowd into a panic now would not be a good course of action. Still, they couldn't all just stay there in harm's way, whatever the harm was.

"We need to get these people out of-"

Yuuri wasn't able to finish his sentence, for at that moment, there was a loud BANG from above his head and several people screamed; Wolfram grabbed his arm; Conrad was at his side taking hold of his other arm, sword drawn. The two brothers began to forcibly drag the king towards the nearest exit. They didn't get far before a second BANG, and suddenly Wolfram wasn't at Yuuri's side anymore, and he barely registered Conrad yelling his brother's name in surprise. The two stopped and turned, Conrad in front of Yuuri, sword brandished and Yuuri could see over the larger man's shoulder that most of the people were pressed against the wall, staring wide-eyed at the center of the room. Yuuri followed their gaze and his eyes widened as he looked, just in time to see a figure dressed in black from head to foot, with only their eyes visible. The person pulled a struggling Wolfram close, whispered a few words into the prince's ear, and then Wolfram's green eyes clouded over and he fell against the figure, seemingly unconscious. Yuuri let out a startled cry and moved to rush forward but Conrad held out his arm to block his path. Gwendal emerged from the crowd beside Conrad, and Yuuri could see Yozak out of the corner of his eye, circling around to guard Yuuri from behind. The others, such as Cheri and the von Bielefelds, were against the wall with the other guests, and Günter was nowhere to be found. Conrad took a cautious step forward, eyes intently on the figure holding his little brother, and spoke loudly. "Unhand him now."

It was unnerving to see the figure's eyes, the only part of the intruder that was moving, for they stood completely still, dark eyes sizing Conrad up, before falling on the King. Black eyes met black eyes and Yuuri felt a shiver go down his spin at their intensity. There was a tense stretch of time in which nobody moved and Conrad's single three word command hung in the air between them. Then, slowly, the person removed their hands from Wolfram and he dropped to the ground like a rag doll and lay at the person's feet, immobile. The dark eyes fell on Conrad once again, glinting, challenging the man to make a move to retrieve Wolfram, but Conrad did not move, as his duty was to protect his king. Yuuri did notice that he was clutching the hilt of his sword so tightly that his knuckles had gone white.

The moment it became apparent to the figure that Conrad and no one else were making a move towards where it stood with the prince, the person acted. Magic suddenly burst forth around the two, and frightened cries rang throughout the hall, and Yuuri jumped, startled. This magic was not like any he'd ever seen, dark tendrils flowing like winding snakes from the person and lashing out anything that was too close, pushing all the people even further back until some were fully pressed against the wall. One lunged for where Yuuri and his guardians stood and they fell back, quickly to avoid the strange magic, increasing the distance between them and where Wolfram lay. Yuuri called out Wolfram's name first, followed by Conrad, but the constantly moving magic kept them away. They watched, horrified, as the figure drew a knife and knelt down beside the prince and positioned it to drag slowly across the prince's throat. The blade touched flesh and Yuuri could see, even at a distance, that a scarce amount of blood was drawn. He cried out again and rushed forward, only to be caught by Gwendal, who pulled him back and Yuuri faintly noticed that the older man was shaking. Conrad tried to move forward but another of the dark tendrils of magic held him back once more.

Another loud BANG rang throughout the hall and the dark magic holding Conrad back suddenly vanished and he stumbled forward, surprised. He straightened and looked quickly towards Wolfram. The dark figure had been thrown back and some unseen force was holding them back, despite fierce struggling to return to the prince. The knife was lying next to Wolfram and despite a small cut on his throat that didn't seem to be badly bleeding, he was unharmed. Conrad immediately darted towards the restrained figure but before he could reach them, he could see, through the movements and creases of the cloth covering their mouth, that they were speaking quickly, and as Conrad raised his sword to point it at the enemy's neck, a fourth and final BANG was heard and the figure disappeared. All traces of their magic and presence were gone in an instant, as though they had never even been there at all. The only evidence that they had been and that the people gathered in the hall hadn't simply gone mad was still lying unconscious on the floor.

Conrad didn't miss a beat, turning on his heel and heading back to Wolfram, while Yuuri, Gwendal, and Yozak all rushed forward. Günter got to him first.

"Where the hell did you disappear to?!" Gwendal demanded as they reached Wolfram, who was already being examined by the lilac haired man.

Günter looked up at them as the arrived, and blinked in surprise. "What are you talking about? I was here the whole time!"

"Liar!" Gwendal growled out, taking a step toward him.

"Gwendal!" Conrad said, looking up at his older brother in desperation. "Now's not the time!" Gwendal nodded slowly, though he glared briefly at Günter, before kneeling down next to his youngest brother.

"Is he alright?!" Yuuri asked frantically, trying to see past the three older men surrounding his friend.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up at Yozak, who was gave him a smile. "He'll be fine, your majesty! Little Lord Brat is pretty tough despite appearances."

Yuuri gulped and nodded, somewhat reassured, but he was still anxious, and continuously wrung his hands. He looked up at the sound of a horrified cry and turned to see Lady Cheri forcing her way through the crowd that had gathered around them. "My Wolfy!" She knelt down with her elder two sons and placed a hand on Wolfram's forehead. "You'll be alright, momma's here…" she whispered, more to herself than anyone.

"Out of my way!" came a command from behind as Gisela shoved people aside to get to the small cluster in the middle. Günter had been using healing magic on the blond while Gwendal bandaged his neck using a ripped cloth from his shirt, but the moment his daughter made her way to them, he stood and stepped aside, and she quickly got to work.

"Alright, everyone will be escorted now to a safe location!" Günter called to the surrounding crowd and he looked to Yozak and nodded. "Sir Gurrier will lead you all, I implore you to please follow his instructions and you will not be harmed! Go!"

Yozak waved his arm and signaled for everyone to follow him, and he headed for the exit. The various nobles and aristocrats glanced first at each other, then Günter, then at Yozak, and slowly they all began to file out. Some were crying, others just looked shaken, and a select few seemed unfazed. Yuuri saw the von Bielefelds as they made their way out. Lord von Bielefeld was gently rubbing both of his children's backs in a soothing manner while Freya silently cried on her brother's shoulder. Isaak simply looked ashen. The three cast a glance at Wolfram before they left, none of them seeming to want to get in the way. Stoffel came over briefly to comfort Cheri before he and Raven were both ushered out as well. Soon it was just Cheri and her boys, Günter and his daughter, Yuuri, and a dead silence that Yuuri swore he would drown in.

After the silence became unbearable Yuuri finally spoke up, in a quiet, timid voice. "Wh-who was that?"

No one answered.

"Who attacked Wolfram?"

"We don't know, your majesty. The assassin could have been sent from any number of countries."

"But why? Why attack Wolfram, why not me?!"

Günter sighed and rubbed his temple. He looked older and wearier in that moment than Yuuri had ever seen him before, and it unnerved him to see the normally chipper Günter so somber. "It's too early to tell, you're majesty. But my guess would be, if it's not something personal against Lord von Bielefeld, than chances are… whoever it was who sent the assassin wants to eliminate those around you."

Yuuri blinked, confused. "What? Eliminate those around me? Why?"

"Word of your kindness and your refusal to allow war has spread far, your majesty, and while many see this as an opportunity for peace, there are those that look at this as an opportunity to gain power. They see it as a sign that either the king is weak or the military is weak, or possibly both."

Yuuri still wasn't following. "But if these people want power… why go after Wolfram? Why not go for the king?"

"Because a weak king is not a threat, and can even be used as an advantage."

"Unless," Conrad spoke up, eyes widening as it occurred to him what Günter was getting to. "Unless the people supporting him and assisting him are powerful and intelligent. Then the king is a problem. Take out those holding him up, and he falls down and is left defenseless, and by extension, vulnerable."

Yuuri frowned. "And… since Wolfram is my fiancé… he's the closest to me and so the biggest threat?"

"That's correct, your majesty," Günter confirmed, casting a worried glance down at his daughter working to make sure Wolfram was alright. He hadn't budged since falling unconscious and was showing no signs of waking up.

"Well then I'll break the engagement! If it's putting Wolfram's life in danger then what's the point of keep up with this farce anyway! I don't want them to hurt Wolfram," Yuuri said, looking frantically between all those gathered. "Even Wolfram can't argue with that!"

"I'm afraid that could make matters worse, your majesty," Günter said with a sigh. "If it became public knowledge that after an attempt on Wolfram's life, you broke the engagement, it would no doubt reach the ears of the one who ordered him dead to begin with. They would possibly assume that you have done so out of concern for Wolfram's life, and take that as not only another sign of weakness from you, but from Wolfram as well, and become bolder in their aggressions."

"So what am I supposed to do about this?!" Yuuri asked, taking a step forward, his expression clearly displaying his desperation. "Someone's out for Wolfram's life, and possibly all of your's as well! And… and I can't do anything to help? To stop it?"

"Unfortunately, Yuuri, no, there isn't much you can do," Conrad said, his gaze not leaving the figure of his little brother. "This sort of thing… was honestly to be expected. It's not at all uncommon for their too be assassinations of nobles and loved ones of the King or Queen, and almost expected that at some point their will be at least one attempt on the life of their spouse. Wolfram's life was put into danger from the moment you two became engaged."

Yuuri stared at Conrad as though he'd grown a second head. "What?! Why did no one say anything, not once?!"

"It's something that is known by all but uttered by none," said Gwendal, from his position crouching next to his mother. "No matter whom you were engaged to or ultimately married, their life would be put into danger and they'd know it."

"That's… that can't be," Yuuri muttered, his gaze on Wolfram's pale face. "There has to be something I can do…"

Günter, Conrad, and Gwendal all exchanged looks but remained silent. The only sound was Cheri's soft spoken words to her son.

They stayed there in silence until Gisela deemed Wolfram well enough to be moved and he was prompted taken to the infirmary. Yozak tracked them down there and informed them that several of the nobles in attendance had already left to return home, and they few remaining had been assigned rooms and were all settled in. He also reported that scouts had been sent out and the premises searched for any trace of the assassin or any other clues as to who was behind the attack and had found nothing.

And in the early hours of the morning they were visited by Murata Ken.

"I had planned," he said, glancing at everyone gathered in the room and the figure lying immobile on the bed, "to come a bit late to the party, but just as I was leaving, Ulrike sensed a strange, powerful magic being used inside the castle."

"Inside the castle?" Gwendal asked, eyes narrowing at the Great Sage. "Nothing was sensed from outside? From the borders?"

"Not at all, Ulrike is certain she sensed the magic used inside the castle in the same location a grand total of six times. The interesting thing about it, though, is that the fifth time the magic was used, it was slightly different. Similar, no doubt the same type of magic, but different."

"The fifth time? What happened the fifth time?" Yuuri asked, looking to Conrad.

Conrad thought for a moment before reciting. "The first time was when the lights dimmed, and the second time was the false explosion from above. The third time was when they grabbed Wolfram. The fourth time, the dark magic barriers. And fifth… was when they were pulled away from Wolfram."

"A counteract," Gwendal muttered, more wrinkles appearing on his brow. "Was it preformed by someone else?"

"Most likely," said Günter, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "What else could it have been? Unless it was plotted to fail, which doesn't seem likely."

"But you say Ulrike even thought it was strange," Conrad asked, looking back to Murata.

The sage nodded. "She said she could feel its power, and it was powerful, unlike anything she had ever felt before, but she couldn't say exactly what it was."

That didn't sit well with anyone, and it was obvious the moment Murata finished speaking that everyone had tensed and was just a bit more paranoid than they had been before. They all looked at each other, trying to discern what the other was thinking but getting nothing and sinking deeper into their own speculations.

After a few minutes, Murata announced that he was going to go to the library to do some research and Günter offered to join him. Gwendal, Conrad, and Yozak all excused themselves to check and double check the parameter. Before they left, Gwendal took one last look at Wolfram and Conrad placed his hand over Wolfram's and gave it a small squeeze before the two brothers and the spy departed. Cheri was the last to go, saying it had been a long night and she needed some sleep but that she would return in a few hours. Gisela was down the hall, ready to come if called. That left Yuuri alone in the room with an unconscious Wolfram and his own thoughts. And his mind was whirring, with ideas popping into his head and quickly falling apart but he was determined. There had to be some way he could protect Wolfram. There had to be. He was the king. The king they thought was weak but he'd prove to them all he wasn't weak. He'd save Wolfram. Somehow, he had to save Wolfram.

Wolfram woke around midday the day after the attack. Yuuri had been asleep in a chair next to him and had been rudely awoken by the sound of Wolfram trying to get up from the bed and promptly falling to the ground. He's scrambled to his feet and helped the prince up and was met with grumbling and frustration. Wolfram apparently remembered full well what had happened to him and was intent on 'track the bitch down and slice them up good.' When questioned about it later, he couldn't recall how he'd gotten from Yuuri's side to the center of the ballroom, just that there had been a flash and he was suddenly in a different location. The person who had been holding him had been relatively strong, physically. To everyone's surprise, and it irritated Wolfram to no end, was the fact that Wolfram couldn't remember the person speaking. He had looked into their eyes, which he described as being darker than Yuuri's and that darkness seemed to drown him and the next thing he knew, he was waking up in the infirmary. And besides the small cut on his neck, Wolfram was otherwise alright.

So their best lead had fallen through.

"But uh!" said Yuuri, looking around with a wide grin to everyone who had once again gathered in the room once news had spread of Wolfram's awakening. The von Bielefelds had joined them as well. Lord von Bielefeld stood with Cheri, Stoffel, and Raven, while Isaak and Freya were with Conrad and Gwendal at Wolfram's bedside. Günter stood with Gisela and Greta (who had spent the night with the maids and had been left completely unawares of what was happening until that morning.) Murata stood besides Yuuri on the other side of Wolfram's bed. And lastly was Wolfram himself, sitting up with his arms crossed and looking thoroughly annoyed. All of them looked up and over at their king in curiosity.

Yuuri clapped his hands together in excitement and grinned widely. "I've been thinking-"

"You're thinking? Wow, I'm impressed already, wimp!"

"-and I think I've got an idea on how to protect Wolfram," Yuuri said, twitching at Wolfram's words but choosing to not retaliate just this once. "Looking back on the assassination attempt, I noticed… everyone came flocking to me. Everyone protected me. I'm the king, so I guess it's be expected, to place my safety above everyone else's as much as I dislike that… and that's the way it always is! Everyone always is protecting me and worrying about me and because of that everyone else, especially Wolfram, is left vulnerable to attack! So I've decided to assign Wolfram a personal guard."

Silence. And then…

"WHAT?!" Wolfram attempted to rise but was held down by Gwendal, but that didn't stop him from raising his voice. "What do you think I am, a child? Incapable of protecting myself?!"

"Apparently not or you wouldn't be in this situation!"

Wolfram glared and Yuuri was sure he'd shrivel up and burn under the prince's fierceness. "I do not need caretakers! I can defend myself perfectly fine! I don't want a troop of soldiers following me around when I can handle it just fine on my own!"

"What about just one guard, then? A bodyguard."

"No!"

"But Wolfram," Yuuri said, moving forward and taking a seat on the edge of the bed beside him. "Please just listen to me! I know you don't like this idea and want to prove yourself, but when everyone's rushing around to protect me, you are left completely on your own to not only defend yourself, but you also protect me. And… under any other circumstances I wouldn't suggest this, but these people who are after you will probably try again and they have magic that Ulrike doesn't even recognize! And it's powerful, and they took you down with just a few words! I know you're strong, I believe in you, but it would make me feel so much better if there was even just one person who'd place you above even me. Someone who'd protect you."

Wolfram clenched the white sheets tightly but remained quiet, biting his lip. The king and prince stared each other down, both daring the other to give in. Finally, Wolfram muttered, not breaking his eye contact with Yuuri, "And who, exactly, were you thinking of being my bodyguard? My knight? If I agree, of course."

Now it was Yuuri's turn to bit his lip. "I do have someone in mind," he said, slowly.

"Out with it, who?"

"Conrad."

There was dead silence that seemed to stretch an eternity before being broken.

"But I thought Cousin Wolf hates Conrad!" said Freya von Bielefeld, her brow furrowing in confusion. Isaak clamped his hand over her mouth, quickly, and sighed.

"Ignore her, she's an idiot," he said in a quiet voice, not daring to look in Conrad's direction.

Yuuri, on the other hand, did.

Conrad was staring, intently, at Wolfram, who was looking at his own hands and not responding, and he running his thumb over the hilt of his sword absent-mindedly. "Are you sure about this, your majesty?" he asked, tentatively.

Yuuri nodded, determined. "Absolutely. You've protected me since I got here and been my guardian in so many ways, but the truth is, everyone here protects me, and no one protects Wolfram, and if there was one person I'd trust with the task of doing so, it'd be you, Conrad."

Conrad remained quiet for a moment as he took this information in. "I… have no choice but to do as you wish, your majesty, and if you wish for me to be Wolfram's personal bodyguard then I shall do so, but…" His gaze was still on Wolfram, who had yet to even move.

Wolfram finally lifted his head and looked first at Conrad then to Yuuri. "I'm going to hate myself for this later, and hate you a little bit already for doing this, but it seems I have no choice but… to accept this." He shot a glare at Conrad here while Yuuri broke into a thrilled grin and everyone else in the room look startled. "But if he gets in the way of my normal routine and activities then I call the right to abolish this agreement!"

Yuuri nodded, slowly. "If I think you're right, then yes," he said, standing. Murata looked amused. "Alright then," Yuuri continued, looking around happily at all the shocked people. "Conrad will be Wolfram's personal knight from now on. The safety of the third prince will now be top priority, above even the safety of the Maou."

Conrad nodded, slowly, his mind seemingly still racing to catch up with this unexpected turn of events. Wolfram just glowered, not looking at anyone directly. "Come on, Greta," Yuuri called and his daughter, who at Günter's request had remained quiet while the 'adults' spoke, let out an excited squeal and rushed forward to take his hand. "Let's go to the kitchens and get some food to share with Wolfram, 'kay?"

"Yay!" Greta said, delight written all over her young face. Yuuri shot one last smile at the sulking Wolfram and the baffled Conrad before he and his daughter made their way out of the room. Yuuri couldn't stop smiling the rest of the day.

End chapter one

DONE. FINALLY. YES. I'M THRILLED. Normally it only takes me a few hours to get fics done but this bitch took me like a week. D8 Hopefully it was well worth it? Anyway, this is the first chapter of what is planned to be a pretty good length fic… I couldn't give you an estimate of just how long because I fail at math and these things change so often that there's no way to be sure this early on. However, given my track record with fic in the past… one can only hope Alice will get this one done. D I have a lot of ideas of where I want to go with this so wish me luck?

Anyway
Chapter two: whispers and warnings

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.

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