Chapter
Warnings: Mild coarse language. Author's Notes:
Disclaimer: Kyou Kara Maou! is not mine.
Resolution:
a resolve or determination: to
make a firm resolution to do something.
Observation: something
that is learned in the course of observing things.
-
In the Face of Anger -
Chapter Two: The Observation
Rather then being piled up with studies from Günter, it was Gwendal who whisked me off to sign some apparently 'important' papers. I decided that since Gwendal is normally the one stuck with this job – when it should be me – I would take care of the papers for today. However, after four hours of being cooped up in that room with Gwendal and mountains of paperwork, I eventually became weary of it.
I was able to excuse myself for a while, claiming that the Maou should be allowed to take a break. Gwendal made a strange grunting sound, looking unimpressed. I laughed nervously, bolted from the room and escaped to the castle grounds. It's really great to be outdoors on such a fine day! The sky is completely lacking in clouds, and for whatever reason the grass looks extra green…
I planted myself in a shady area and leaned against the castle wall, and I stretched my legs out. I gotta remember not to lose track of time, though – "You are to return to your paperwork in no more than half an hour," Gwendal told me firmly. "There'll be trouble if you're any later, all right, Your Majesty?" I gulped, "Yes, Gwendal." – and I also need to find time to have lunch.
Clang! "Pick it up!" I recognised Wolfram's voice, which sounded frustrated as he yelled at one of his soldiers. "Alright – again!"
I watched in fascination as the completely worn out soldier charged at Wolfram, his sword raised. In a flash of quick movement, the soldier's sword went flying yet again, and Wolfram stood victorious. "Your beginning move is weak!" Wolfram informed him impatiently. "Step in stronger; a strong first attack can give you the upper hand!"
"Yes, Your Excellency," The soldier responded, looking exhausted. "Is there…a chance we could take a break, Sire?"
"No!" Hey, that's not fair! Can't Wolfram see how tired that guy is? He looks ready to go six feet under…That poor guy; perhaps I should intervene? "You know how important it is to train hard today, don't you? You should be aware of what is going to take place!" Huh?
"Of course, Your Excellency," He replied quickly, albeit anxiously. "But, Your Excellency, isn't it just a practice match? It's not an official duel or anything like that, Sire…"
"Be that as it may," He interjected, eyes narrowed, "I wish for you and your fellow comrades to train hard. Keep practicing until they arrive, understood?"
"I understand," He confirmed tiredly, picking himself and his sword up and retreating to where the other soldiers were dueling fiercely. All of them look totally out of it…Wolfram looks tired, too. Just what is happening today, and why hasn't anyone informed me about it? Perhaps it's not that important, as that soldier said. But, then again, Wolfram seems to be making a fairly big deal out of it…
I approached the jealous pretty boy curiously, while Wolfram sheathed his sword moodily. He really seemed pissed off about something or another, hm… "Hey, Wolfram," I greeted. I should be careful to not get him angry. "What's going on?"
"What's going on is none of your concern," Wolfram replied curtly, his eyebrows narrowed in that, 'I-Hate-You-And-Everyone-Else' angle. "Gwendal told me that you would be signing papers today, so just what are you doing out here, Your Wimpyness?" Is he sneering at me? What is the matter with him? He's seriously pissed at something or someone - and hopefully if it's a someone, that someone isn't me.
"I was just getting out for a break," I said, cocking an eyebrow at him. "You seem really bothered about something. What's up?"
"I said that it's none of your concern," He growled grumpily. "Stop slacking off and do your job as Maou. Having these long-winded discussions with me to distract yourself from your duties isn't going to work, so get back to work." What? I'm not having a conversation with you as a distraction! Why can't you just tell me what's troubling you?
"Just so you know," I gritted out in frustration, "I'm generally concerned. You're more angry than usual, and I just want to understand why."
"Hmph!" Now, see, this is where learning to understand Wolfram becomes difficult; he doesn't let me in on what his issues are, and if he was to do so, he'd just become more hostile. He never lets me in willingly; it's only when I push him to tell me. But, even after all my questioning about it, he still refuses to tell me anything! I can practically hear Murata's voice inside my head, telling me to remain patient and I would eventually get it out of him.
I noticed Wolfram peering at something beyond my shoulder, and I looked back to see numerous soldiers coming closer. The leader of the group was Conrad, dressed in his usual tan uniform and a kind smile fixed on his face. "Conrad!" I called out to him, waving wildly. The last I had heard of him, Conrad had taken off to one of the neighbouring villages to check on the humans there, and I hadn't been informed of his return. I'm glad he's back; practicing baseball here isn't the same without my baseball-duo-partner-godfather-guy.
"Good afternoon, Your Highness," He said warmly. Oh no, not the formalities again!
"Don't call me that, Conrad," I reminded him sternly. "Call me Yuuri."
"Of course," He chuckled. "What brings you out here?"
"Just taking a quick breather from paperwork," I explained hurriedly. Since Conrad's here, so I'm sure he'd know just what is happening today, and he should tell me, at least. "Hey, listen, Conrad, do you know if anything special is happening today? Because I overheard Wolfram and someone talking about it before, but Wolfram won't give me any of the details," I added with a glance in the jealous pretty boy's direction.
"I won't give you any details because, as I've said already, it's none of your concern!" He scoffed with a vicious glare. He's so aggressive…
"I'm sorry, Wolfram, but if His Majesty wishes to know, then I simply must tell him," Conrad said reasonably, but not looking all that apologetic.
"Lord Weller!"
"I apologise, Wolfram," Conrad reiterated before turning to look at me. "As far as I am aware, all that is happening today is my troops are having some rallies with Wolfram's troops to test how our training has progressed in comparison. I'm not too sure why Wolfram wouldn't want to let you in on this," He added bemusedly. Yeah, that's weird he'd keep something like that concealed from me. Hm…I turned to look at his face, and noticed something flash in his eyes. In the back of my mind, Murata's, 'Clearly-You're-Not-As-Wise-As-I-Am' voice whispered, Pain.
Pain? He's upset? Again? Why? I've seen an emotion like that flicker in Wolfram's eyes on numerous occasions, but I never could quite place just what it was. I thought of words such as anger, jealousy, bitterness and 'Give-Me-What-I-Want-Or-I'll-Sulk', but 'pain' is probably better suited. Why would he be in pain? What's hurting him? What? Is it something I said? Something I did?
"Well, Lord Weller," Wolfram barked in his usual hostile manner, "Since you're here, I suppose we could begin our matches. Agreed?"
"Agreed," Conrad affirmed zealously. "Your Highness, would you like to observe the matches? And then afterwards we could begin your training session?" Oh, yay, training, eheh…Somehow I think that no matter how long I train with Conrad, I'll never become close to his standards. He'll always be so much further ahead than me, unfortunately…
Nevertheless, "Sure, that sounds fine." I reasoned that at least I'll be able to get away from paperwork and Gwendal's scornful eye for a while longer. But, I doubt I'll escape Wolfram's scornful eye, I mused grumpily as Wolfram shot me a disapproving stare.
Even as the first few matches began between Conrad's and Wolfram's soldiers, I wasn't paying all that much attention. I was still thinking back to that pained expression that flashed for a brief moment on Wolfram's pretty boy of a face, pondering just what it could have meant. Wolfram's normally good at hiding his negative emotions – apart from anger (Although Murata seems to be able to see these negative emotions easy enough), so there must have been a very good reason for him to get upset like that. But, I still can't figure out why!
Okay, I'll take Murata's advice on this once again and attempt to see what happened through Wolfram's eyes. Let's see…I am pestering Wolfram about what's happening today and why he's so worked up about it, and he doesn't answer. I continued to ask, but he keeps on refusing to answer, and then Conrad shows up. I give up on harassing Wolfram and ask Conrad instead, who gives me an answer. Alright…alright…I still don't get it!
Wait…wait…WAIT! I get it, I think! I'll say that I was in Wolfram's situation, being pestered by someone…I don't want to answer…and then my half-brother who I am rather envious of because of his swordsmanship shows up, and the person who had previously been bothering me bothers him instead…Despite the fact that I don't want that person to find out, he disregards my feelings and gets the answer from another source.
…Ouch.
Oh, man, I messed up. Wolfram's upset with me because I wasn't tactful. If Wolfram really, really hadn't wanted me to know, I shouldn't have asked anymore. And I definitely shouldn't have questioned someone else about it, just because Wolfram didn't want to respond. God, sorry, Wolfram; I should have realised that you were so adamant about the whole thing, and I should have just dropped the subject. I would have found out eventually, without needing to ask. But, I was too impatient…
I snapped back to reality, and realised that a bunch of disgruntled soldiers were off to the side, observing there captains as they dueled. Wait a minute, Conrad and Wolfram are having a duel? So, Wolfram was so stressed out because he might have felt he still wasn't prepared for his fight with Conrad! I get it, now!
Numerous clangs resounded about the castle as their blades collided, and unlike Conrad, Wolfram looked sweaty and tired. However, to my surprise, they appeared evenly matched. I guess Wolfram has really improved a lot from all his training…I felt a little guilty, since I was inwardly hoping Wolfram might beat Conrad. Not because I like Wolfram more than Conrad, but because it'd be great just to see Wolfram's face when he finally did beat his brother. He'd be so pleased with himself, and Conrad would be proud of him…
Despite that my conscious was telling me that if Wolfram did win he'd probably become more arrogant, I called out to him encouragingly, "Go for it, Wolf!"
The moment I said that, he glanced over in my direction, a bewildered expression on his face, and that gave Conrad the opportunity to swing while he was distracted. Clang! Oh, God, no…Wolfram's sword went flying out of his hand and landed heavily on the grass close by. His mouth hung open in silent shock, while Conrad stood still. Then, as if in slow-motion, Wolfram turned to face me, an outraged look on his face. "What the hell, Yuuri?" He screamed at me indignantly, and I felt a strong urge to duck into the bushes to hide. "You don't go calling out to me during a sword fight, you stupid idiot! Conrart!" He rounded on him, red-faced. "I demand a rematch, right now!"
Conrad gave a heavy sigh, and then smiled pityingly at him. "Wolfram, your rhythm has been thrown off. You won't be able to defeat me if you've lost your pattern and are unable to quell your emotions," He told him carefully. "Fighting again will only tire you out further, as well. And I hate to say this, Wolfram, but at the moment it appears you shall be the one to become worn out before me."
Wolfram made an odd sound of disbelief, and he looked really cut down. I stood up and headed towards the pair of them. I felt really guilty, since it's all my fault that he got distracted. "Wolfram, I'm sorry, I was just-" I tried but he cut me off, looking positively furious.
"Save your breath, wimp! Don't you even try apologising, damn you! Just leave me the hell alone!" He stormed off, dragging the tip of his sword along the grass, leaving a deep mark in the ground. I've really screwed up…But, I was just trying to cheer him on! I'm completely hopeless…
"Conrad, why don't you let Wolfram fight you again?" I pleaded with my godfather hopefully. But, he shook his head from side to side.
"Sorry, Your Majesty, but what I said before was the truth; he's too weary at the moment, and he can't think straight due to his anger. He wouldn't stand a chance, so it'll have to be another day," He explained, smiling at me. "You wanted him to beat me, Your Majesty?" Oh, erm…Yeah, about that…
"It-it's not like it's anything personal or anything like that!" I stuttered, waving my arms about. "Well, it's just…you know how he is…He really wants to defeat you one day, so I was just trying to encourage him…" I gave a depressed sigh, "But, that only resulted in you beating him. Which is great, and all!" I added quickly. "It's good to see you're not losing your touch, eheh…But, I just…"
"You wanted Wolfram to be happy?"
"Yes." I blinked. "Well, that is, um…" He's practically grinning at me in that, 'I'm-Your-Godfather-So-I-Can-Pretty-Much-Read-Your-Mind' kind of way. Wh-what…? It's like he's smirking at me! And in that all-knowing kind of way…I hate it when people do this! It's like with Murata, how he can see right through me. It's like Conrad's got this personal joke going and he won't let me in on it. Darn it, this is making me feel really self-conscious!
"Your Highness," He addressed, interrupting my musings. "The matches are over now, so I'm prepared to give you your sword fighting lessons. Are you prepared?"
"Huh? Oh! I don't have Morgif with me at the moment, but…"
"You can borrow one of the soldier's swords to practice; I'm sure they won't mind," He affixed with a pleasant smile. "So, are you ready, Your Majesty?"
I prepared myself to reprimand him for the 'Your Majesty' title, but then I spotted Wolfram sulking off to the side. He still had his sword out, and was using it to stab at the ground moodily. Hm…a large part of me doesn't want to get Wolfram into an even fouler mood by going to see him, but at the same time, a part of me is saying that he'll fly off the handle if I agreed to practice with Conrad. Let's see…If I agreed to practice with Conrad, Wolfram will throw a jealous tantrum and might think that I think Wolfram's not good enough to train me, and if I don't train, I'll have to return to signing papers with Gwendal. So maybe the question isn't whether I should train, but who I should train with…
If I asked Wolfram to train me instead…
"Uh, don't get offended by this, but I think that it would be best if I didn't train with you, Conrad," I told him glumly, staring at Wolfram's irate form to the side. "It's just…well…"
He gave me an understanding smile. "Yes, I see. Best of luck with the training, then," He offered cheerfully, and I felt a nervous bead of sweat that slid down the side of my face.
"Yeah, thanks," I muttered grimly, dragging my feet slowly over towards the jealous pretty boy. Alright, so, I'll tell him that I refused Conrad's offer to train with him, and then tell him that I was hoping he would train me, instead. Then he'll look surprised, and become enthusiastically enlightened and proceed to teach me. Brilliant; I just hope it goes that way, and I really hope he doesn't start throwing fireballs at me…
I seated myself noisily next to him and crossed my legs, turning to face him. He looked up, and his eyes flashed menacingly as the corner of his mouth twitched unhappily. "Go away, wimp!" He growled viciously, finally sheathing his sword. Well, I suppose I don't want to drag out his negative feelings towards me anymore, so I should start with…
"I'm sorry," I apologised sincerely, a somber smile on my face. "I'm sorry for calling out to you and throwing you off. I should have known to keep my mouth shut."
"What were you calling out for, anyway?" He mumbled in that, 'You-Are-A-Hopeless-Wimp' kind of way. Huh, what does he mean, 'why was I calling out'? Didn't he hear what I was saying? I swore he knew...
"I was offering you my support," I told him honestly while uncrossing my legs and wrapping my arms around them. "I thought it'd be great if you could beat Conrad, so I was just-"
"You idiot," He interjected grumpily, though there was no heat behind his words. "You shouldn't call out your support to me, wimp. If you seriously wanted to just observe the match, then you should have kept your mouth shut and just watched. And anyway, you should have been working with Gwendal, not out on the grounds," He reminded me, sticking his nose up in the air. "You're a completely unreliable Maou." I grinned at him. Heh, if I'm not mistaken, that's his way of thanking me for the support, even if I did distract him. It probably meant a lot to him, he just can never find the right way to voice his gratitude.
"Whatever, Wolfram. Now, listen," I ordered fixedly, "I came over here because I was also wondering if you wanted to train me in sword fighting. You know, if you haven't got anything better to do…?"
"Why are you asking me this?" He demanded in bewilderment. "Just go and train with Lord Weller, since he is Shin Makoku's greatest swordsman."
I thought about going into a long explanation as to why I wanted to train with him instead of Conrad, but I just replied with a simple, "No."
Wolfram stared. "You're so illogical."
I rolled my eyes. "I'm asking you to train me. Don't tell me you don't want to?" I smiled slyly. "Well, if you don't want to, perhaps I should go with Conrad, and…" I got to my feet but he reached out and snagged my sleeve firmly.
"You cheating wimp! I am going to train you, and that's that!" He also jumped to his feet, drawing his sword. He fixed me with a sharp glare. "Got it?"
I laughed, "Right. I'll just need to get a sword and-"
"Here you are, Your Majesty," Conrad smiled from where he had been standing, which appeared to be at a close enough distance to have heard our entire conversation. Why, that eavesdropper…! He had Morgif presented in his arms, and his smile widened. "I took the liberty of retrieving Morgif for Your Highness while you were conversing with Wolfram." Yeah, right; you had one of your soldiers run off to grab Morgif while you stood nearby to just listen to our conversation! I don't know why, but Conrad's smile looks almost perverted in a strange and creepy kind of way.
"Well, thanks," I remarked suspiciously, making a mental note to tell Conrad to stop doing such creepy things. He bowed respectably before leaving, that pleased grin never leaving his face. There's that, 'I-Know-Something-You-Don't-Know-Because-I'm-Your-Godfather' air about him, and it's making me a bit anxious.
I heard a sound of grating metal behind me and saw Wolfram there, in his fighting stance with his sword raised. "Prepare yourself," He warned me with a conceited smirk. "Unlike Lord Weller, I won't be going easy on you just because you're a weak little wimp."
"Right – and don't call me that!" I snapped with little agitation. He's back to acting like his usual hot-headed self, not being all sulky and depressed due to his loss. I still feel guilty because I broke his concentration, but I think it's best if I put those distractions to the back of my mind since Wolfram's charging in for his first attack. With a mighty clang, Morgif is sent flying with a dignified groan. I sighed exasperatedly.
After several hours I collapsed onto the grass with a great, 'hooo…!' and sucked in a large amount of oxygen. It's weird, but even though Wolfram's a fierce fighter with a high level of skill, and the fact that he loses his temper easily and he is really impatient, I've felt like I've achieved a new level in skill with my swordsmanship. Conrad may be kind in his training, but he works me a lot harder then Wolfram. Sure, I'm exhausted from my training with Wolfram, too, but when I requested for short breaks during the day he would grumble an annoyed, 'Wimp!' but allow me to, nevertheless.
He'd give me great advice – not just with the way I held my sword, but with my stance and everything. Like to keep my legs shoulder-length apart, and to keep in a defensive position when waiting for my opponent to attack me. It was really helpful…And once, Wolfram had used a certain move to trip me up and I nearly fell over, but instead of just letting me trip over he actually caught me by the arm and lifted me firmly back onto my feet. I'm rather grateful about that, since my backside probably would have had a nasty bruise otherwise…
"Have I improved today?" I wondered aloud, and Wolfram turned to face me with a thoughtful expression on his face.
"You decide: Do you think you've improved today?" He questioned testily.
I frowned before responding, "I think I have. A little. And that's thanks to you, since you gave me such great advice as my teacher," I said with a grateful chuckle. "Thank you."
It looked as if his entire body tensed for a long moment, before sticking his nose up in the air, a pale and indignant blush on his cheeks. "Oh, shut up with your gratitude, wimp. That's the last thing I want to hear from you." I think that's safe to say that he means, 'You're welcome'. Well, I think this learning-to-understand-Wolfram-thing is turning out rather well. It's been an enjoyable day…No meetings with neighbouring representatives, no studies, there were hardly any signing of papers, and-
Oh. My. God.
"ACK!" I screamed out in panic, and Wolfram jumped.
"What the heck is wrong with you?" He cried in outrage. "Why are you all of a sudden-?"
"I forgot all about Gwendal!" I said in distress, raking my hands threw my hair. "I completely forgot! Oh no! He's going to kill me! The papers still need to be signed, and he's probably popped so many veins by now that he's half-dead! Oh, damn it…!"
"Yuuri, calm down!"
"This is not the time to be calm!" I exclaimed wildly, hurriedly getting to my feet. "It's time to panic! Panic, and then run all the way back to Gwendal's office and apologise over and over…! Sorry, I have to go now, Wolfram!" I yelled over my shoulder, hearing Wolfram mutter, 'He's hopeless' as I left. I sprinted all the way through the castle corridors until I spotted Gwendal's office up ahead. I banged on the door frantically, tapping my foot in nervousness. The door swung open and Gwendal stood there, his eyes narrowed and cold.
"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!" I repeated over and over, but his icy glare never melted. "I completely lost track of time, and I was training, and I-I-!"
"It's fine, Conrart already informed me of your training with my younger brother," Gwendal stated curtly, though he looked very displeased. "I will be the one to take care of the papers today. You, however, will be required to take care of them tomorrow, and the day after, and you will not be taking any 'breaks'. Do you understand, Your Highness?"
He's so ready to kill me, regardless… "Sure, Gwendal. I promise, I'll do it – all of it – tomorrow and the day after, I swear!"
"Good," He commented, his eyes still narrowed with distaste. "I have a lot of work to do, so please leave me be." He closed the door behind him with a sharp snap, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of over-whelming dread because of tomorrow. He's so ticked off at me he'll probably invent some paperwork so I will be cooped up for even longer…
But, I mused optimistically, I've made some progress on deciphering Wolfram's behaviour. Taking Murata's advice really helped, and I think I'm really on a roll. Despite the doom I face tomorrow, nothing can ruin my cheerful mood.
"Your Highness!" Squealed Günter as he ran towards me, arms outstretched and tears flowing down his cheeks. "Oh, how I have longed to see you, Sire! It has been hours since I saw you, and I have felt such a powerful sense of loneliness when I cannot be by your side! Oh, Your Majesty-!"
Well, that could be a cause for great terror, since it looks as if he's going to squeeze me to death when he gets to me…
…It's probably wise to start running…
Author's Notes: Hm, yeah, I really loved this chapter, heh heh. I hope you thought they seemed pretty in-character, and that everything seemed realistic - by KKM standards, that is. xD
I doubt there are any typos, but if there are, my sincere apologies!
Oh, I am so frustrated with the lack of KKM DVDs being released in Australia at the moment...I have the entire first season, but only the first 3 volumes of the second season have been released in America, so it's going to probably take another year until they show up...Damn...
Anyway! Despite my eagerness to update and finish writing this story, I won't do any of that unless I get some reviews.
That's right, REVIEW, my good people!
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