So Lots a Bishie!

By:WhiteGloves

Forward and always up! The next chapter is here!

Thank you very much for waiting! :)

Chapter Ten: Handsomely Threats

It was a complete humiliation for their part, having the King taken in their midst.

Conrad clenched his teeth as he pulled the rein of his horse. Gwendal and Günter were giving instructions for retaliation. Lady Celi was with Waltorana and Murata who were both trying to comfort her while Yozak, who was now free, sulked in a corner. Conrad walked near him.

"Yozak," he started with a serious look. Yozak looked down the ground.

"It's my fault. I'm sorry Captain…"

Conrad didn't say anything. It was not like the spy to fail about something, but he supposed even Yozak has his bad times. Deciding it was not right to blame his friend, Conrad noticed something else.

"Your shoulder… hasn't your wound closed up, yet?"

Yozak looked at his wound, and then up at Conrad with another serious look on his face.

"That's just it, Captain," he said, "It won't stop bleeding… it's as if the wound won't just heal itself…"

Conrad stared at the wound with a deep frown.

"Tell me, that wound…?"

"Is from the esoteric weapon, yep…"

Conrad kept his mouth shut.

"Yozak is a half demon, so it is understandable," Murata surprised both Conrad and Yozak as he appeared beside them. "Esoteric stones affect demons and crafting it into a weapon is a really serious business… Now, Yozak is a half blooded demon and normally he would not be affected by it, but looking at the situation now it seems that these weapons are crafted to kill… just think about it, Yozak is half demon, what would be its effects to a pure blood demon…?"

Conrad and Yozak both looked at the Great Wise Boy with a transfixed look. Gwendal was half listening to them some distance away and the way his eyebrows creased implied frustration.

"Everyone lined up!" he roared into the night, "We are heading for a battle!"

Conrad looked at his brother, and then to the half moon up the sky.

"Yuri…" he whispered.

Then Yozak suddenly remembered something. Why, that bloody blade—?

"Captain!" he shouted.

Yuri felt heavy and jaded. Something was hurting on his head. Everything was dark. Did he collapse again?

"…it's okay, don't move too much, let me handle it…" said a familiar voice.

Wolfram?

"…ah… it hurts… damn…"

Yuri's senses instantly heightened. Archinel? What are they doing?

"Wolfram, are you crying?"

"Shut up and quit moving too much, I told you I'll handle it."

"Ahhh!"

"Bare with it, it will hurt a little bit…"

Yuri's eyes popped open and he looked around in shock.

"What are you two doing!" he shouted in alarm as he looked at the two.

Wolfram and Archinel were both across him inside a small square room full of boxes. The two were on the floor like him, with Archinel leaning on the wall and Wolfram upon him. The blond boy was no longer wearing his blue coat but the white collared chemise under it. Looking down the floor, Yuri could see shreds of the blue coat as if it had been torn forcefully to pieces.

"What….?" He started again, but then he saw Archinel's right shoulder wrapped on a blue cloth hanging around his neck. He could also see some blue cloths around the two boys covered in blood. Archinel was sweating as they looked at each other. Wolfram looked pale, but all the same there was a serious look on his green eyes. The ends of his sleeves were bloody. Yuri couldn't help but stare.

"You're awake," Wolfram sighed as he stood up and walked toward him, "Finally…"

Yuri blinked at the blond boy, and then felt the ground wobble from left to right. Looking around, he realized they were not in a room firmly rooted to the ground.

"Wolfram?" he started as the blond boy knelt down on him, "what's going on here?"

"We were attacked by men from Big Cimaron right after you collapsed," the boy answered quietly as he touched Yuri's shoulder. The King noted how sweaty Wolfram's hands were. "How you are feeling?"

"I'm fine, but you don't look fine to me… is this sea sick thing?"

"I'm fine," Wolfram blushed as he cleared his throat. But Yuri noticed that Wolfram looked like he was in pain… what was the matter…? And why would Big Cimaron attack his Kingdom once more?

Yuri massaged his head, Men, of all troubles... How about you, Archinel? You sure don't look fine to me. How the heck did you end up with that wound? I sure didn't hurt you that much in the last match, right?"

Archinel looked away with a chuckle.

"How can you… I won the fight remember?"

Yuri's eyes widened a little.

That was right, he lost the fight. He looked to Wolfram who wasn't looking at him now but seemed too busy staring at the ground.

He lost Wolfram...

"I see," he started with a small laugh as he scratched the back of his head. He felt an empty hole was suddenly dug on his chest."I suppose I was just too wimp for that duel huh? Oh man, what a let down…"

Silence followed his speech except Archinel who was still looking at him. Wolfram did not say anymore as he slowly got up and stared at the small circle window above him that showed him dark sea. The moon shone above them.

"We need to get out of here…" he muttered as he narrowed his eyes, "This people who took us want you, Yuri. Nothing ever comes out good when suspicious people decide to attack us head on and take the King. I'm sure my brothers are already preparing for war."

"No way!" Yuri shouted as he stared at the blond boy, "A war? After everything we've done to achieve peace? I will not allow it!"

Wolfram looked sideways at Yuri. Archinel's amethyst eyes flashed.

"You don't understand do you?" he said as he tried to sit still, "These people posed threat to us. They attacked our kingdom; they used esoteric weapons to take us… who in their right mind would still believe harmony is possible after that?"

Yuri clenched his teeth.

"It's you who don't understand! What is better for all of us? To let ourselves solve this with only three of us as sacrifices or risk having a blood bath of millions of innocent citizens? I'd rather choose to risk myself than to allow unnecessary war to happen!"

Archinel stared hard at Yuri.

"You and your ideals." He said as he shook his head. He then suddenly removed the blue cloth wrapped nearly on his shoulders. He torn it away to show Yuri a deep cut of a blade, still fresh from being wounded with blood seeping slowly out of it. The King gasped as he saw this while Wolfram knelt down the Noble boy.

"Archinel, are you out of your mind?" he hissed as he helped the boy to tie the cloths back. Archinel ignored Wolfram and stared at Yuri.

"Convince me not to retaliate." He said coldly as his blood dripped on the floor, "They threatened Wolfram; they even threatened you, my King. Convince me not to seek revenge when other breeds threaten my kin."

Yuri was lost for words.

"He's right, Yuri…" Wolfram whispered after awhile as he wiped Archinel's wound,"…there's no other choice but to defend ourselves… we cannot always give way and tolerate them every time they attack us."

More silence filled their ears and the only sound that could be heard were the splashing waves of the sea.

Half an hour later, the King is quietly sitting alone on a corner, with his arms at the top of his knees and his head leaning on it. His eyes were on Wolfram who was also staring at him from the opposite corner. Archinel's head was leaning on his lap, clearly fast asleep.

The two boys were looking at each other without speaking. Yuri wanted to ask a lot of questions to the blond boy, wanted to know if he was really okay with how everything ended between them. Was it what he wanted too? Or was he fine whoever between him and Archinel wins? Just thinking of these complicated stuff he didn't know he would be worried about makes him want to kick someone. How did everything fall apart between him and his former fiancé…?

Feeling a lash of pain in his chest as the green eyes absorbed his, his eyes fell instead on the sleeping noble guy. That guy really loved Wolfram, he thought in dismay... and maybe, possibly… that Wolfram is also in love with him.

Maybe Archinel was the perfect partner for Wolfram after all.

"How is he?" he asked as he couldn't take the silence ringing in his ears anymore.

"I don't think he's any good," Wolfram answered as he looked down the sleeping demon, "His cut is deep, and there's nothing I can do to make it stop from bleeding..." he looked back at the King with all seriousness, "Yuri, I think those swords are dangerous for us… Archinel's wound is not healing, it's possible that the esoteric substance is affecting his healing ability."

"That's not good news... we should know how to dispose all those blades," Yuri nodded as he frowned at Archinel. "I can't have those swords threatening my friends and my Kingdom... Using esoteric… I don't like those stones…"

"Who does?" Wolfram shook his head as he stroked the noble boy's hair. "I hope Gizella is in the ship... He needs to be healed immediately. I'm worried about that cut..."

The King stared as Wolfram stroke Archinel's head, feeling a beast roaring at the pit of his stomach and threatening to burst out. It was jealousy, he acknowledged.

And then, he looked up at Wolfram and saw that Wolfram has that soft expression he usually likes to see whenever the blond boy was feeling compassionate. That expression should only be for him...

Yuri instantly felt a pang of pain.

"Stop that!" he suddenly commanded that made Wolfram look up. Yuri felt angered, but then he blinked as he realized he was on his feet when he could not remember standing up.

Wolfram gave him a look.

"Yuri…"

"I'm sorry," Yuri dropped down the floor again and buried his head on his arms, looking defeated. "I just can't handle my emotions well… I can't believed I lost you…"

Wolfram stopped stroking Archinel's hair and his green eyes flickered a little.

"Hey, Wolfram…" Yuri said strongly, "Are you okay with all of this? Ending up with him and all that…?"

"Are you a fool?" Wolfram shot him a look, "You're the one who put me in this position in the first place! It's not like I can disagree with anything that's been going on when it is decided by the King!"

Yuri stopped for a moment.

"But it still depends on you and not the duel…" he said after awhile, "Who do you really like, Wolfram?"

Wolfram opened his mouth, his eyes glistening as the King gave him a piercing look. Before the boy could make up his mind, however, there were footsteps outside their door. The two demons looked as three men wearing casual attires and carrying weapons entered the room.

"Where's the Demon King?" asked one of them with a bandana as they stood upon the three boys.

"That's him," one of them with eye patch pointed at Yuri, "double black, remember?"

The last of the men, the one with mustache, took a step toward Yuri who blinked at them not knowing how to react. What are they planning to do?

Just then, Wolfram knelt on the floor after slowly setting Archinel's head on the floor, with an angry glare and gritted teeth.

"Don't you dare take one more step toward him," he warned. The men looked at him, looked at each other and laughed.

"Hey, blondie, you're in no position to threaten us!" the bandana guy said, "You're at our mercy!"

Wolfram's eyes flashed and Yuri saw him clench his fists, as if agitated to reach for his sword or use his flame magic. Unfortunately he didn't have sword and somehow he also didn't use his flames.

The man with mustache however frowned at the blond boy.

"Why did they brought this two along anyway? We need only the King, right?"

"Their supposedly hostages ready for disposal," answered the man with bandana.

"Why not dispose them already? That demon lying on the floor looks like it's about to die."

"Don't refer to him as it!" Wolfram shouted as he gave them a piercing look. The three men looked at him, and then at each other again as if they couldn't believe their eyes. After that, the man with eyepatch walked toward Wolfram and touched his cheeks.

"Hey, this one's a pretty boy… we can sell him for a high price."

Wolfram slapped the guy's hand away, "Don't touch me!"

"Wolfram!" Yuri shouted, feeling suddenly tense. Archinel stirred on the floor and breathlessly tried to see what was going on. The men also saw the bishounen and all they did was to stare. Yuri had to admit Archinel was really just like Wolfram. That was not a good sign.

The man gave Wolfram a scornful look, but then he smiled again.

"What a tiger, maybe we don't have to sell him after all. We can always use a pretty demon slave in our place, right men?" and they all laughed looking manically at the pretty boy.

Yuri's ears rang at these words. How dare these filth openly express interest to Wolfram?

Wolfram seemingly looked angry at the same time for being addressed in vulgarity, but it was Archinel's words that got out first.

"I dare you… say that again and you'll lose not only your tongue but your life…"

"Archinel…" Wolfram turned to the wounded demon and supported him as he tried to stand up. Yuri stared at the two, and then walked toward them and shielded them from the three men with his own body.

"Enough play talk, gentlemen," he said through gritted teeth, "My friends are exhausted already. If you want a pick a fight, I'm at my best shape so give it a try. Otherwise, if your boss wants me, then bring me to him. I wish to speak with him."

"Yuri, are you an idiot!" Wolfram hissed from behind him.

"Shut up and let me handle this," Yuri said as he gave the blond boy a half glance, "Take care of Archinel. He needs you more than I do."

Wolfram's eyes widened. Yuri walked toward the three, but before he could even say another word, there was a commotion outside.

"What's going on?" asked the man with bandana. He went over the window while the rest listened to what's going on.

Then, the banadan man's cry of despair was heard.

"AHhh! The Demon Tribe's battalion!"

Yuri immediately walked over the window and saw tons of battle ship bearing the Demon Tribe mark. They were not far and were heading straight toward the ship.

"Gwendal!" Yuri breathed in relief, "Conrad… they're here!"

"They're here and ready for war," Archinel coughed softly that made Yuri look at him.

A war in the middle of the sea?

-ToBeContinued-

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