Yuri yawned and rolled to the side. His eyes flickered and opened, seeing a pale face, blonde hair hanging down...
"Nng-" He grunted and shuffled away from Wolfram slightly. But he caught himself before he fell out of the bed. Somehow, during the night, his five inches of space from the other side of the bed had turned into five centimeters. He winced slightly, listening to Wolfram snore and mumble in his sleep. Slowly, he pulled his arm out from under the blankets (and the other boy) and slid out of bed. The floor felt cold, but he didn't mind. He had had a strange dream the night before, and the bed felt too warm.
"Mmm..." Wolfram moaned and rolled onto his back. "Mornin...?" He mumbled, as if he had heard the word for the first time.
Yuri couldn't help but grin, and look over his shoulder at the blonde. "Yeah. Good morning." He greeted, and began to change into his black uniform. He listened as Wolfram rolled out of bed, dropped his pink nightgown and began to change as well.
"Huh...my skin feels smooth." The blonde told, running his hands up and down his arms.
Yuri glanced over him. "So's mine. I think it's because of that mud-war we had with the kids yesterday." He responded and buttoned up his shirt. "I heard that mud's fairly good for your skin."
Wolfram scoffed. "How could have mud done something like this? That's foolish." He snorted and put his fists on his hips.
Yuri grinned, shaking his head. "You'd be surprised."
XXX
"Okay...hold still..." Geisela looked at Zeke, a gentle smile on her face. "There we go...that's all!" She announced as she removed the stitches on the boy's shoulder. She grinned and sat up straight. "Okay. I sure wish that you would have waited for today, though. You scared me yesterday!" She chuckled, turning away and sorting through things on a table.
Zeke grinned, showing off the lack of stitches to Jasper, whom of which put his hands on his shoulders and kissed him on the cheek. They then both had a mischievous gleam in their eyes.
"I just hope that we don't have to go through that ordeal any time soon, right? I mean, that wound on your waist was pretty deep, but at least it didn't hit any vital organs or tear up your muscle too badly!" She turned, and the last thing she saw was Zeke vanishing around the corner and then she heard him say, "Thank you so much, Miss Geisela!"
Geisela sat there for a moment, looking dumbfounded, then finally she chuckled as a smile came across her face. At least now, she didn't have to worry about the stitches breaking!
XXX
Yuri and Wolfram were almost bowled over by the two when they ran down the hall.
"Whoop! Sorry, King Yuri! Ooh...who's this now?" Zeke asked and squatted down. A small girl had accompanied Yuri and Wolfram.
"This is our daughter, Greta." Yuri grinned and felt the little girl put herself behind her father shyly. "Daddy..? Who are they?" She asked in a little voice. Wolfram looked down at her, then smiled lightly.
Yuri knelt beside her. "This is Zeke and Jasper. They are those boys who helped us with that gang of thieves we caught a few days ago." He glanced up and smiled at the two.
"Hi, Greta." Zeke said in a gentle tone.
The little girl stared at them for a minute, and then a smile crossed her face. "Hi. It's good to meet you." She responded and hid herself behind Yuri a little more. Zeke laughed and stood up. "Timid is she?"
Yuri chuckled and looked down. "A bit."
Zeke turned to Jasper. "Oh...we should adopt a daughter some day. Once we have our own home, and are able to support her...let's name her Yvonne!" He said, shaking the other boy's hand.
"Huh, I dunno about that, Ezekiel. And why don't we get a son? Name him Zachary." Jasper protested, and immediately got a reply.
"Eww! Boys are so boring! Zachary? Why not Orson?"
"Orson sounds like a name you'd give a pig."
"No, that's Hamish."
"Hahaha, definitely."
"I know, huh?"
The two laughed at the strange names that people gave their children.
Yuri was silent as he and Wolfram watched them walk down the hall, their voices growing more and more distinct.
"...That was rather strange..." Wolfram murmured.
Yuri nodded. "Mm-hm. Well, come on. I bet Gunter and the others are wondering where we are right now. We did sleep in for about an hour." He stated and wandered into the next room, holding Greta's hand.
Gunter stood, talking with Conrad. "Oh, Your Majesty!" He exclaimed, seeing Yuri and the others. He jogged over, grinning. "Today, Prince Bazel is expected to arrive at the shores. We will travel there by carriage at noon." He announced, putting a hand on Yuri's shoulder. Wolfram cleared his throat all too loudly, jabbing the man's hand.
"Okay, you don't have to shout." Gunter whined, taking back his hand and rubbing the area where Wolfram had poked.
Yuri grinned. "Really? That's great! I've been wanting to meet him." He said and crossed his arms. Greta leaned over. "Can I come too, Daddy?" She asked, pulling on the boy's sleeve. Yuri made an over-exaggerated movement of putting his hand on his chin and scratching it. "Hmmm..." He mumbled and grinned. "Sure. Why not?" He answered and stooped down.
Greta gave a loud, excited squeal and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Yayyy!" She shrieked and ran off. Yuri watched her, a smile plastered on his face.
Wolfram sighed. "That carriage is gonna be full...you, me, Gunter, Greta, and Prince Bazel. Speaking of which,"-he said and turned to look at Yuri-"Why are you so eager to meet this prince? You little- -" He growled, his face forming to a scowl.
Yuri gave a low moan. "It's not what you think, Wolfram..."
XXX
The carriage bounced up and down as it traveled down the dirt road. Greta sat by the window, peering out, watching the passing scenery. "Ohh...so pretty." She grinned and turned back. She sat next to Yuri, as Wolfram sat on the other side of the carriage next to Gunter (even though he had argued to be seated next to the Maou...)
Gunter sighed. "It seems Prince Bazel will only be able to sit on His Majesty and Greta's side. He won't be able to fit over here. Why'd you have to come, Wolfram?" He complained, looking at the blonde and leaning on his hand.
Wolfram, who was outraged enough, not being able to sit by Yuri, was pushed further at the fact that there was going to be another man sitting next to him, AND Gunter was lipping him off?! His eye twitched ferociously, but he couldn't let the words that he had on his tongue burst out, especially with his young daughter sitting right across from him... So instead, he gave some unintelligible noises and turned away, looking out the window.
Gunter sat up, a wide and somewhat mischievous smile on his face. "It's nice to have Greta with us, is it not?" He asked and got another angry sound from Wolfram. He knew very well that Wolfram wouldn't burst out in front of her! The male ground his teeth together. He was so going to get that bastard later on. His death-threat thoughts were interrupted as the carriage came to a stop.
Shortly, Conrad appeared at their window and said, "We're stopping to take a short break. You can get out and stretch your legs if you like."
Yuri grinned. "Really? Wow, I didn't know we've traveled so far already. Well, I'm going out. Coming, Greta?" He asked and looked at the girl. He got a rapid nod as a reply and chuckled, leading her out of the carriage.
Wolfram and Gunter shortly followed, sighing and stretching. For them, it had been a long trip already.
"Oh, wow...I didn't know that wild berries grew down this road, Daddy!" Greta exclaimed, jogging over to a bush and examining the little blue fruits that were growing there. "And they look ripe, too!"
Yuri walked over to her and knelt down. "Hm! I wonder...do we have a basket or two with us? We could fill them up, and have a snack on the way, and for the Prince. What do you think?" He asked and grinned at her.
Greta's face glowed. "Okay!" She turned and jogged up to Conrad. "Uncle Conrad? Do we have any baskets with us?" She asked and clasped her hands together.
Conrad straightened up. "Hm...I'm not too sure. Maybe you should check the carriage." He suggested, a smile on his face. "I'll be with you in a minute, I just have to tighten the saddle." He turned to his horse and began to pull at the leather straps.
Wolfram stood on the other side of the carriage, a scowl on his face. "Hmph..." He grumbled, plotting how he would get back at Gunter. Rig all the vases to break whenever he would get left behind at the castle? Make sure that when Annissina brought out one of her weird inventions, only she and Gunter were in the same room together? Shave him bald..? He snickered at the last one.
"Hey, you're looking grumpy." A voice said behind him. He blinked and turned around, seeing Zeke and Jasper sitting on top of the carriage. "Eh? How'd you get here?" He asked, tilting an eyebrow.
Zeke smirked. "We walked, of course." He told bluntly and held up his foot, wiggling his toes.
Wolfram tilted his head. "But...it's been a two-hour carriage ride. How could you have walked behind us the whole time?" He questioned, and stepped back to see them both.
Jasper sighed. "We're thieves, remember? We're used to long-time traveling on foot." He told and leaned on his knee. Zeke grinned and leaned up against him. "Besides, I made a promise to make sure that you and King Yuri remain faithful to each other, so we're just gonna keep an eye on that Prince, okay?" He told and tilted his head.
Wolfram smirked, remembering the promise. "Ah, yeah." He chuckled and turned away. He was silent for a moment. "Huh. What would you two prefer? Getting shaved bald, or being a guinea pig for some woman's crazy and sometimes lethal inventions?" He glanced at them.
The two held a gaze on each other for a moment, and then looked back at him. "Heck I don't know...I like my hair, so...probably guinea pig for me.." Zeke murmured, twisting a white strand of his long hair between his fingers.
Wolfram had a wicked look cross his face and he turned away, clasping his hands together. 'Alright, shave him...' He thought and cracked his knuckles. He turned his head, looking at Gunter, and his long, glossy, lavender-touched hair flowing down his back.
"Oh, there are just so many!" Greta giggled, carrying a large basket out in front of her filled with berries. Yuri stood beside her, laughing. "Yeah! And we still have one more basket to fill!" He said. He held a full basket on his hip and gestured to the empty one on the ground.
Greta thought for a minute, and then she said, "Hey! Why don't we get Papa Wolfram to fill the last one? We each filled one, it's his turn!" She grinned a grin so innocent, Yuri had to let a small little "Aww..." slide out. He nodded. "Sure. Let's go get him." They walked around the carriage, and only saw Gunter standing there, watching the horses, completely unaware of the blonde boy sneaking up behind him, hidden by the bushes.
"Hey, Gunter? Do you know where Wolfram is?" Yuri asked, glancing around.
The older man tilted his head. "Hm...he WAS standing right there. I'm not too sure where he wandered off to." He said and flicked his hair over his shoulder slightly. "Huhh. Maybe he went to the other side. Who knows?" He shrugged.
"Hm." Yuri murmured and glanced to the side. "Mmph...what a pain...where does he keep going?" He grumbled and put a hand on his hip.
Zeke, still sitting on top of the carriage pointed. "Ah! There he is!" He exclaimed. Wolfram had moved out from behind Gunter and came out of the bushes behind Yuri and Greta.
"Ah! Thanks, Zeke." Yuri grinned, glancing up at the younger boy. He got a salute in return, and the boy flopped down on his back, looking at the clouds with Jasper. The hands that were ringed were clasped together tightly.
Yuri and Greta walked over to Wolfram. "Papa, you have a leaf in your hair!" Greta said, and attempted to reach up and grab it out.
Wolfram blinked. "Oh." He said as his eyes fixed on the leaf. He knelt down to allow the young girl to yank it out. She stared at it, then tossed it over her shoulder. "Papa, you have to come fill up a basket of berries, too!" She smiled and held up the empty basket.
"U-um..." Wolfram stammered at the sudden request. He glanced at Gunter, who was now playing with his hair, and wrinkled his nose slightly. 'I'll get him later...' He thought and took the basket from Greta. "Show the way."
XXX
"Here you are, Gunter." Yuri said, sliding two handfuls of berries into the other male's hands.
"Ah, thank you, Your Majesty. To be served fruit right from your very hands...ahh..." He closed his eyes and leaned back, his mind wandering away on him.
Wolfram scoffed at him, and slid a berry of his own handful into his mouth.
Yuri didn't seem to notice as he smiled. "These are really good. It's been a while that I've had fruit right off the vine." He said and glanced at Greta, who was munching happily.
Yuri leaned out the window. "Ah, we're almost to the shores! Great!" He exclaimed and looked at the crystal water that was nearby. There was a large crowd near the shore, waiting to welcome the Prince.
Up in front, Yosak glanced around. "Huh! Quite a turnout!" He chuckled and glanced at Conrad, who nodded. "Indeed. I suppose everyone's looking forward to meeting him." He said, but his face fell.
Yosak blinked and leaned over to look at him. "Hey, what's the face?" He asked.
Conrad straightened up. "Listen carefully, Yosak. I've heard things about people in Great Flurrizora. Many rumors say that their hearts have been engulfed with wicked intentions, and that they are dangerous people. Now, although they have been rumors, I am not going to let them go ignored. I want you to keep a careful eye on Prince Bazel when he's around Yuri. I'll do the same when you cannot." He explained, his voice low. Yosak's face was now somber and he nodded. "Yeah. Got'cha." He responded and looked on ahead.
When they arrived at the shore, a ship appeared nearby. The crowd cheered, in both the arrival of the Maou, and the arrival of the Prince. Yuri grinned and waved out to the ship.
"Hey! King Yuri!" A voice called from the ship. Yuri squinted and saw a slim figure standing there. From what Yuri could see, the person had long, green hair tied back in a ponytail, and was dressed in forest green clothes. As they got closer, he could see a smiling face, almost as cute as Wolfram's, glowing with happiness and dotted with freckles.
Yuri and the group went to the docks to meet him.
"Hello. It's such an honor to finally meet you, King Yuri." The young prince said, walking up to them. A tall man followed, his hair slicked back and cut bluntly a little past his shoulders.
The prince put a hand on his chest. "As you probably already know, my name is Prince Bazel of the Northern Country, Great Flurrizora. This is my attendant, Francis von MasinIzrak." He introduced and directed to the man behind him.
'Man, oh, man, that Francis is scary...he could probably get along well with Gwendel...' Yuri thought, and chuckled to himself. "It's really good to meet you! You know me already, this is my daughter, Greta, and that's Wolfram." He said, directing to each person.
Wolfram stared at Bazel for a moment, then added, "His fiancée." He took Yuri's hand, as if claiming him.
Yuri sighed and rolled his eyes slightly. "Anyhow, now that we're doing all the introductions, those are my attendants, Yosak and Gunter, and my godfather, Conrad. There were two other people here...but they don't seem to be around at this point." He glanced over his shoulders, looking for Zeke and Jasper. "Ah well. You can meet them later."
Bazel chuckled and pulled a small bottle from his pocket. He popped off the lid and squirted a greenish, sweet-smelling liquid onto a hand and began to rub. "I'd like to." Yuri blinked at the bottle he had pulled out. "Huh? What's that?"
"Ah, I have terrible eczema because of where I come from. If I don't put on some lotion, my skin cracks and it stings terribly." He explained as he then rubbed his palms on his pants.
Yuri frowned slightly. "Ah, that's too bad. Does the cold weather up there do that?" He asked.
Bazel nodded. "Mm-hm. It's wretched. Anyways, shall we get a move on?" He glanced over his shoulder, seeing that Francis had vanished back onto the ship. He returned shortly with a literality albino horse. Its mane was a milky yellow, its coat was white, and its eyes were a bright pink. It looked so...demonic...Yuri shuddered when it gave a ghostly whinny.
"Shh...settle down, Phantom..." Yuri heard Francis murmur to the horse. 'No wonder how it got its name...' He thought, biting his lip. Francis led the horse down to the dock, and mounted it. "So, my Prince. Do you wish to ride with me, or with them?" He asked and directed to the carriage.
Bazel smiled. "I think it'd be more interesting to ride with them. You know, to get to know them a little more." He answered. Francis nodded and gave a small click of the tongue to get his horse to move towards Conrad and Yosak's. The darker horses snorted and shuffled around at the arrival of Phantom, only calmed by their masters' words. "Then I will be with them." He said and was silent.
XXX
"Hahh, what an interesting story!" Bazel laughed as Yuri finished a tale from the past.
Yuri nodded, a smile on his face. "I just couldn't believe what had happened!" He exclaimed and laughed as well. Greta giggled. "Prince Bazel, would you like some more berries?" She asked and leaned down towards a basket.
Bazel shook his head. "No thank you. But, they are delicious. Where did you pick them?" He asked and leaned back slightly, twisting a strand of his green hair.
"We found them down this road here." Greta said and pointed out the window. Bazel looked out the window where she was pointing and grinned. "Huh, we ought to come back here sometime, you, me, and your fathers." He suggested and looked at Wolfram (the boy promptly stuck his nose in the air out of jealousy.) Yuri didn't seem to notice Wolfram's motion as he said, "We should!"
"Ah-HA! So is this the famed Prince Bazel we've been hearing about?" A voice chimed behind them, and a giggle followed.
Yuri blinked and twisted around. He grinned and announced, "There you are, Zeke!" The boy had jumped onto the carriage and was clinging to the back window, smirking at them and holding on tight.
Yuri turned back and looked at Bazel. "This is one of the two people I told you about at the docks. His name's Ezekiel." He said and closed his eyes, shaking his head slightly, but good-naturedly.
Zeke smiled, his face flushing. "Nice to meet ya!" He glanced to the side and blinked. He nodded and jumped off the cart. In a brief moment, Jasper appeared in his place.
"And this one's Jasper." Yuri said, directing to him.
Bazel stared at the new one for a while. "A...human?" He murmured, tilting his head to the side.
Yuri nodded. "Yyeeah...why?" He responded. "Are you surprised?"
Bazel shook his head. "No...well, maybe a little. I didn't know that humans came into this country. They aren't rare in my country, but I thought that was the only place..." He explained, once again rubbing his hands with his lotion. He smirked. "Not that it's a bad thing! You've really welcomed in the other nations, King Yuri. It's so impressive."
Yuri chuckled modestly. "Well...I can't say it was done ALL by me, y'know..." He looked at Wolfram and Gunter. "There were a lot of things I couldn't have done without them."
"Oh Your Majesty..." Gunter sighed and clasped his hands together, as Wolfram simply leaned on the window on his side, making sure he was still looking out it.
Yuri grinned. "And Conrad and Yosak were excellent as well." He told and peered out the window at the men, even though he knew they couldn't hear him.
Outside, Yosak kept his eyes on Francis' horse, Phantom. 'Eugh...that thing gives me shivers...' He thought, shuddered and turned his eyes back to the front. As if reading his mind, Phantom gave a low whinny and glared at him, causing his to chew on his lip and jump slightly.
Conrad glanced behind him, smirking at Yosak, but his grin failed him when he looked at Francis. The man had cold, cold eyes, and a stern face so unlike that of his own. He could have been younger than 30, but there were details that made him appear older. Details that told he had been working hard since he was young, and nothing could shave off this cruel-looking shell. But what truly caught Conrad's attention was a large scar on the left side of the man's face, that led from above his eye, down past his lip. He pondered how he could have received that wound...
"Sir Weller, would you like something?" Francis' voice brought the other man back.
"U-um...no. I just blanked out." Conrad stammered and turned back, looking ahead. He sighed and closed his eyes. He wasn't sure why, but he had felt so tired that day. Perhaps it had been the cause of the previous days, with Ezekiel and Jasper, the theft and retrieval of Yuri's necklace, and his constant jogging and training with Yuri. Huh...who knew?
XXX
Wolfram slunk about the castle, a smirk on his face. Normally, he'd be right beside Yuri when another good-looking person was present, but due to Zeke and Jasper being with the king and supporting their engagement, he could now get around to his wicked plan.
He eyed Gunter as the man filed papers at his desk. He narrowed his eyes as his smile widened, and clutched the scissors that he held tightly. He cautiously glanced around and checked to see if the man had noticed him, which he hadn't, and began to walk forwards.
"Hello, Wolfram. What're you sneaking about for?"
Wolfram jumped at the sudden voice. He span around quickly, seeing a young woman with wild, red hair. "Annissina? What're you doing?! You almost gave me a heart attack!" He gagged, putting a hand on his chest.
Annissina scowled. "Hey now, don't be so rude. You know, I oughta use you for my new invention!" She grinned. "But, you're too small for it, so you get off the hook this time." She chuckled and jogged into Gunter's room, and in brief seconds, a loud conversation stirred up. Wolfram sighed and looked at the scissors. Not today...not yet.
He turned and walked down the hallway, and down the stairs. He yawned and looked around, seeing the same thing he always did while walking in that area. He shook his head and shut his eyes. Boring, boring, boring. It didn't seem so dull when he was walking with Yuri. He was stopped abruptly by running into another body. With a low groan, his eyes snapped open, and he looked up, seeing Francis. "Oh. Excuse me." He muttered and stepped around the tall man. But all he got for a reply was a time-stopping glare, and a slight shove to the side as he walked past him. He stared after him, an angered and offended look on his face. "Dammit..." He muttered and was on his way.
"Oh, Woooolfraaaaam..." A voice behind him made him stop in his tracks. He turned slowly, and there stood Annissina, dragging a captured and weary Gunter by the collar. "Turns out that Gunter was too light for the experiment, too. But I know just the thing to balance it all out!" She announced, giggling wickedly. "An inventor can never get far with a single guinea pig!" Wolfram winced and took a step back, but knew he couldn't escape the redhead's insane plot...
XXX
"Wow, Wolfram. You do not look good..." Conrad leaned over his brother, who had his head on the table, his clothes ruffled and torn. "I...have no idea...where Annissina gets her ideas for those wretched machines of hers..." Was all the boy responded, trying to lift his head, but ended up dropping it on the table with a loud clunk. "Ow." Conrad bit his lip, and then ran a sympathetic hand over his shoulders.
Gwendel looked up from his work for a moment, only to shake his head and look back down. Gunter, too, looked as worn out as Wolfram did, and kept his head on the table with the same sort of weariness. "Ahh...at least it didn't draw blood, right?" He murmured, rolling up his sleeves and looking at strange marks that were caused by a strap that drew out the Maryoku directly from the Demon.
The blonde lord across from him mumbled something of a reply and fell silent. The entire room was quiet for what seemed like hours, until Yuri, Bazel, Jasper, and Zeke's voice came to be heard as they walked down the hall. Wolfram snapped to attention, then felt a fiery jealousy welling up within him when he heard Bazel and Yuri carrying on a conversation about personal interests between them. He stood up quickly, ignoring the pained objection that his body gave, and walked over to the door, opening it and peering down the hall to seek them out. Sure enough, there they were, and immediately, he walked up to Yuri and Bazel.
Zeke and Jasper were there, too, one of them standing in between the two royals and the other trailing behind slightly. Wolfram grinned at this and his jealously receded...slightly. He ignored Yuri's greeting and squeezed between him and Zeke. "Wolfram, you don't look too good...were you training?" Yuri asked, looking the lord over numbly. Wolfram shook his head. "Annissina had a new invention..." He corrected painfully. Yuri winced and did not question further.
Bazel laughed at the reaction. "So Annissina is as crazy as I've heard?" He asked and chuckled. "Just kidding..." Wolfram looked at him, tilting an eyebrow slightly. "It's the truth, though..." He murmured and Bazel laughed again. This kid was far more loose and out-going than Wolfram expected...he acted too much like Yuri. He bit his lip and stood closer to his fiancée. The double-black stared at him awkwardly. "What's up with you today..? Move over, my elbow's scraping the wall." He asked, shifting to the side. Wolfram ignored him, crossing his arms, closing his eyes, and keeping his nose in the air. "Wolfram!"
XXX
That evening, a pair of forest brown eyes watched as Yuri and Wolfram trained in the courtyard, but slowly trailed to Zeke and Jasper. "Hm..." The person watching them sighed and lowered his hand from the window he was leaning against. As he did, the flimsy curtain fell, blocking his view. He sighed and walked across the room to a bag. He pulled out a small bottle poured a dab of its contents onto his palms, and began to rub it over his hands. "Sooner or later...I'll have to return to Great Flurrizora...but it won't only be Francis and I..." He chuckled, looking at his hands. The constant rubbing of lotion on it had caused his skin to be extremely soft, smooth, and gentle, but those feelings hardly reflected in his cruel eyes. He sighed languidly and walked across the room, slipped under the covers of his bed, and fell asleep.
...
Gah, jeeze. DX Sorry this took so long to get up! I was beating off a writer's block with my forehead, and it took forever to get past it...even when I did, the last few paragraphs weren't too good.
Sorry, sorry, sorry! panicrunaway
