Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KYOU KARA MAOU!
It is not my property.
WARNING: a bit OOC. Past event. Language. The story focus on Wolfram, Gwendal and Conrad when they were younger. I indicate their age with the 'Human' age. This will be a very short fic ( two or three chapters)
A/N: Thanks to W.F. Credit to this person in particular. You know what I'm talking about.
...
They hadn't forgotten...
This was supposed to be a wonderful day. The peace had been back to the country for a few months. Little by little, people were putting their fears aside and everybody cheered up with the promise of better tomorrows. The current queen Cecilia von Spitwerzg was, to the eyes of certain people, a bit weak and petty, but to look at her actions closer, they liked her gentleness and kindness.
The noises of people running, shouting and crying outside meeting the ones of weapons, threats and cruel laughters were getting louder and louder.
Wolfram was sobbing quietly, sometimes hiccuping while seated on his brother's lap. Conrad, sitting on the dirty floor, his back against an old wall, tightened his hold around the boy, pecking his long golden curls that framed his round face. He deeply hated to see that: big tears were rolling down the five year old boy's pink cheeks.
" Sh, it's alright, Wolfram..."
The youngest mazoku lifted his chin to look up at Conrad, his big eyes brimming with heavy tears.
" Are you sure, little big brother?" he asked with a small voice. His clear eyebrows knitted together in deep worry. Feeling his heart clenching painfully when he caught sight of the wet cheeks, Conrad wiped the tears away with his thumbs, smudging the wetness further on the face.
He tried, for the sake of his brother's sanity that seemed to be on the brink of falling down like a cards house, to be reassuring.
" Yes, I am" he said with this delicate tone of voice everyone approaching him found more and more typical of him. " I promise!"
He would always protect his baby brother, even though he was barely thirteen years old at the moment.
His eyes drifted from the slightly more hopeful green eyes to Gwendal. The latter, whose hand was clenching nervously around his sword, was standing next to the wooded and only door. Ready to fill his eldest brother's role with all his soul, he was watching over his two siblings. Overwhelmed by the need to protect and save their lives, he didn't care about the outcome that could happened to him. Conrad, he cared much for him, but as young as he was, the cadet could still hold a sword and defeat an older adversary. The problem was coming from Wolfram, too young and inexperienced to fight against adults. The little blond angel was the most endangered one. Guilty was eating at his consciousness like a terrible burden put down on his shoulders as he was reproaching himself to have brought the two boys with him.
" Take everything you can!" a man outside yelled out. His baritone voice sounded cruel. Inside their hiding place, the boys could imagine how he looked like, and this was enough to make their hairs stand on end. He was obviously addressing his companions. " This is a village infested with those rats of Mazoku!"
" Should we all exterminate them, Chief?" a second one inquired while a woman screamed bloody murder.
Wolfram whined again, his body tensing as more tears streamed down from his eyes. Conrad gritted his teeth, he was afraid AND angry. He pulled his brother closer against his chest, feeling the soft fair curls tickling his neck, his arms wrapped around the tiny body like a warm shelter. Unconsciously, the hazel eyed teen started to rub, with slow motions of hands, Wolfram's back and shoulder. The menaces were intensifying, resonating like dark memories of a not so old past.
The three brothers shivered. Conrad kept his eyes on Gwendal, inwardly admitting the mere sight of him was enough to bring a little of reassurance.
The young blue eyed man was thinking hard about a way to stop that carnage that had taken place just behind this door. He'd been upraised like a high ranked soldier, he couldn't leave his mother's people living a hell while he was hidding himself like a coward. The desire to fight those bandits grew incredibly stronger as he heard children crying out loud and running to save themselves. The men were bursting into disgusting laughters, certainly taking pleasure in frightening innocent creatures.
" Hey, look at what I've caught!" a man giggled as he said this. " He looks like a child but in fact, he's older than me! How old are you? thirty years old? Wow, I'm not even twenty-eight!!"
" Please, let me go!!"
They heard a loud smack. The child burst into tears.
" Shut up! My wife needs a pet, she's getting bored, you'll be well paid, don't worry!"
Gwendal closed his eyes, as he internally cursed those men and felt the urge to pierce their bodies with his sword. His hand was shaking around the handle.
" No, don't kill those filthy creatures. Just let's find the sons of this bi tch who called herself a Queen!"
Gwendal snapped his eyes open, feeling on the edge of breaking the man's skull. Conrad's heartbeat quickened alarmingly. His vital organ hammered within his ribcage like a broken pendulum inside a huge clock. Wolfram clutched at his brother's jacket. He was having a hard time breathing.
Bi tch...
He knew it was a bad word, and he had already heard nobles use it ,over and over again, to qualify his mother. So, was it possible that those monsters outside were also insulting mother? What did they have against her? What had she done to deserve such a treatment? Mother was just so sweet and beautiful and she smelled good, mostly when she cuddled him against her warm bosom and told amazing tales. Who would want to harm mother?
" The sons of the Demon Queen here? In such a poor place?" the tone was incredulous and also sardonic, as though they couldn't believe rich and powerful people could mix with the rest of the population.
" Yes, here. They are said to have been visiting the town because of the fair organized by the mayor. Those little fools! They think they can wander without any of their men! What a stupid idea! The oldest is scarcely nineteen,and they've probably taken the youngest brother who's still a toddler, with them!"
The noise of close steps reached their ears. Gwendal hoped they didn't find them or at least, any of his brothers.
They were in human territory.
His magic was inefficient in that case; and this was frightening and anguishing. He could fight against three or four men easily, but it seemed they were quite numerous and armed. If he ever tried to fling the door open and defy them by himself, he would consequently put his two brothers into a mortal danger. He could imagine what they could do to both Conrad and Wolfram. Sweat dropped along his forehead and nose, but he was under the impression rivulets were running down his face.
Some of their enemies had already made captured mazokus pro stitutes. Conrad...Wolfram...The two in such a situation...he inwardly shook his head, pushing any revolting thoughts at the back of his head and refusing to fall in a trap of paranoia.
Shinou, please help us!
Gwendal wondered if that room they were locked up in could really hide them longer. Above his head, he heard the bandits knocking tables and chairs over. It caused the inhabitants of the house to moan with fear.
" Where are those da mn kids!"
Their hearts were beating wildly. Wolfram started to suffocate as his own fear took the best of him. Even big brother remained paralyzed, rooted to the floor. It was as if he couldn't attack those men. And he however, he was the strongest person in world!Therefore, how could such a situation possible? Where had the clowns and the dancers and the ice-creams seller gone? Were they hiding themselves just like them? He'd just seen with curiosity the bad men surrounding the nice and young ice-cream seller and pulling his pants down while they laughing at him. Then, he'd caught sight onto the tears that were sliding down the man's face. This had taken him aback. He had had the very face of the child ,in his nightmare, who lost himself in a forest and couldn't find his mother back. The little boy couldn't take more of it.
" Wolfram, listen to me, it's alright. We are here! No one will ever touch you, do you hear me? Gwendal and I will always kick the monsters' butts!" Conrad tried with humour, even if it was hard to use it right now, to soothe his brother's fears. He dreaded a crisis. Despite the fact Wolfram was taught reality of the world, the boy was still living among roses and bunnies, safe in their castle. He was somewhat too innocent to understand true monsters were prowling outside like starving wolves in a scaring tale.
" I want mother! Why is she not coming?"
He hated that room that stunk humidity and mould. When they'd run into this room to hide, Conrad had stumbled and slipped onto the ground and now, his jacket was partially dirtied with a black dust. Was it coal? All this happened because of those stupid men behind the door and above their heads.
I hate Human beings! They only created problems! We always get into troubles because of them!
Here were the thoughts of a five year old boy.
Gwendal cringed when he heard swords clashing and burst of doors. He guessed the foes were searching for them everywhere inside the house.
The chiefs of this house has accepted to hide us! And obviously, they didn't betray us! I can't let them fight all alone! I have to do something! They risk their neck for us!
He counted until three, inspiring a long gulp of air to calm down. He'd just heard horses.
" Conrad, Wolfram..."
He startled them out of their thoughts, catching their attention with his deep voice.
" I'm going to open the door. You're going to follow me until we reach a horse. You'll both get on it while I will beat those men back." Conrad's eyebrows were drown into a frown straight away. "You'll take advantage of this moment to escape the town with the horse. Conrad, you're a good cavalier, Wolfram, you hold onto your brother tight. I want you to listen and obey him."
First stunned, the blond child nodded.
" Yes, I will!" he answered with his childish voice.
" Alright. Now get up and stand close to me. Conrad, keep well your arms around Wolfram and run as fast as you can, understood?"
Conrad slanted his eyes with fierce, showing a physical adult side as he did so. His look was determined.
" You can count on me."
Gwendal let the words sink in his mind as he gripped the bolt. He turned right the inserted key inside the hole, put gently but quickly his ear against the door, making internal strategics, glanced sideways at Conrad, to which the chestnut haired boy returned a nod. Then he flew the door open with an abrupt motion of hand and arm and dashed out, his brothers hot in his tail.
The show, outside, was even more awful than what he'd first imagined. The great day party, the fair, which had so wonderfully animated the town was destroyed. The huge wheel was burning, the toys that children had to win were broken, food was rotting on the dusty ground and some men had obviously undergone physical harm. Some trees had been set on fire, and smoke started to float abundantly around them.
Wolfram, as proper reaction, closed his eyes as the smoke stung them, burying his small face in the crook of his brother's neck. It wasn't long before the same criminals, recognizing them with a simple peek at them, rushed in their directions. Distracted by the new turmoil, one of the bandits loosened his guard, and a prisoner, crashed one of his knees into his stomach.
Fast and steady like an over trained soldier, Gwendal raised his sword to his first opponent, quite older and bigger than him, almost backing up under the intensity of the impact. Conrad darted around the area, seeking a horse to get. The same prisoner who had dared to rebel against the human man, run over to them, gripping the reins of a brown horse. Conrad gave him a very grateful look as he took a hold of the reins, Wolfram climbing on the horse. He followed onto, sitting just behind him and wrapped his arms tightly around the boy.
" Run away, my princes" the man said them with hurry. " thanks to you, we're less afraid to defend ourselves! Look, some of us have been fighting back since your brother appeared!"
" Thank you, but are you sure..."
The man shook his head.
" No, don't worry about us! We'll take care of ourselves !"
" Alright, I'll make sure my mother awards you as properly as we should do!!"
He tapped, with his heel, the horse and straight away, the animal stomped off the place. They headed for the exit of the town in direction of Blood Pledge Castle. Upon hearing the sound of gallops, Gwendal gave a blow to one of the men before snapping his head into his brother's direction. When he caught sight of their escape, he couldn't help but sigh with relief.
He understood the inhabitants of the city had regained some kind of courage, on seeing his display of strength. Now, many men were involved in battles against their enemies. Many more came to give them a hand.
" I think you can go, now, my lord!" the male owner of the house they'd been hiding in said to Gwendal. " We're now able to protect the town and stop those men! Join your brothers, they need your presence more than us!"
Gwendal didn't doubt the fact he could rely on Conrad to bring both himself and Wolfram, safe, at home no matter how young he was. However, he dreaded that some of those same men were making a trap in the way to catch his two brothers. He took another one down, then watched the surrounding with hope. Yes, people seemed to handle the situation quite well, now. The thieves were backing up, loosing their courage. They'd thought they would win the battle all hands down, but they'd obviously underestimated them. Some persons were trying to switch off the fire, girls and boys rushing in and out of houses to bring damped covers and tossing them onto the eating flames.
Gwendal's thoughts turned back to his brothers. He run towards a nearby horse, latched onto the reins while climbing on it, then manipulated the animal to look a last time at the town. The last criminals were eventually giving up and run out of the place at the other side.
His coolness was finally coming back, as everyone cheered up and thanked him quite warmly. They exchanged their opinions, talked about how to get the assaulter and punish all of them, and how to assure the protection of their home place. Gwendal promised they would do anything they could to build up new facilities for them , pulled on the leather rein to make the horse turn around, and he left.
Now he had to find both Conrad and Wolfram...
TBC
Eirina