Someone was knocking on the door. It was probably one of the most atrocious sounds Conrad had heard in a very long time.
He knew where he was, who he was with, what time it was, and where he was supposed to be. And Yuuri's body was in it's rightful place, delicately tucked near Conrad's neck and wrapped in his warmth. He had never wanted to sleep in this badly in so long.
But Conrad had come to terms the night before that this would happen. Gunter would storm in, (therefore he was surprised that he even had the decency to knock) sing Yuuri awake, dress him, make sure he had his vows right, and storm him off. Gunter would probably spare Conrad a strange glimpse for a few seconds, then ignore him- would probably leave him alone in this cold and empty bedroom. He'd be left to ponder- about his life, about the rest of his years alone- and would show up moments later all smiles, neatly dressed and ready to hand over Yuuri's hand to some woman.
There was more knocking and Conrad decided that the longer he laid there, the more trouble Yuuri would be in. He folded Yuuri to the other side and made sure blankets made up for his missing body heat, (knowing the cold would probably wake him up in a few seconds) and walked as graciously as ever to the door.
The largest problem here wasn't that Yuuri had left Conrad's side. It wasn't the fact that he was pissed from being woken or his appearances were utterly unpresentable. Once he opened that door, the only thing that would really choose how his life would run from that moment on, was what he would say to Gunter. How he would explain. If Gwendal's implications were correct, then both of them knew, along with his mother and Anissina. Would he even need to defend himself, or would Gunter sort of get the gist?
He opened the door, barely thinking to fix his disheveled bangs, and was completely overwhelmed with the sight of his younger brother staring at him.
Conrad stood there for a moment, positive his eyes were betraying him and widening, as his brother openly gawked for little less than a second. There was simply no way of talking oneself out of this one. Wolfram was a very observant person, although quite brash- but the years of screaming at his older brother with fears of him sweeping Yuuri away had not been for nothing.
"Wolfram."
It was all he could get out.
The blond was probably mostly surprised, that was obvious- but the second wave of hurt and betrayal wasn't emanating from his skin. He sat there for a moment, no doubt mimicking Conrad, and cleared his throat.
"I came to pick him up for the dressing recital."
Conrad paused and waited until the meaning of the words fell in place. Although it hadn't been Gunter, the twisting agony of Yuuri's marriage was still present.
"Of course. He'll be up in a minute."
Wolfram's eyes traveled a bit towards Conrad's chest, and his eyebrows scrunched together. It was only then that Conrad was very aware of the fact that his jacket was missing, and his shirt rather crumpled. It probably looked much worse than reality.
Wolfram was constantly clearing his throat, more for his awkwardly placed benefit versus his brother's.
"Well, I can see he already has an escort... so, I will see you both at the wedding."
He was about to walk off, and Conrad figured he was free, but Wolfram clung to the door frame, and turned back to face his brother.
He was sad. The type of pitying-sad.
Here Conrad was, thinking that fire would be coming down from the hallways in seconds, and his brother was being empathetic?
"I figured you would be here, but I didn't think the wimp would have let you get out of bed."
To say he was surprised would be an understatement. This was something that Conrad had never even dreamed to hope for, had never even formulated in his head. The idea that Wolfram was quietly there, knowing full well that his accusations had been correct all along, and actually having the temperament to even speak to his older brother? That was a miracle in itself. Wolfram spoke up again as if to grace his brother with even more of his mercy.
"Brother."
It was the same tone Conrad has used on Gwendal the night before.
"His is a weak heart. I'm glad, but just so you know, there is nothing that you can do about today. Enjoy your time this morning."
Wolfram was off in seconds and Conrad stood in the doorway, feeling painfully left behind. Had both of his brothers held some sort of knowledge that he would never acquire? Was Wolfram warning him, telling him something?
Conrad waited to feel angered by the sting in Wolfram's words. But it never came. He could not admit that what Wolfram had said was ill-intentioned. There had been no backlash, no hidden motive, and no sore feelings. Wolfram's eyes had had the same look as when he was a child- looking up at Conrad, claiming he didn't understand why he was half human and why he had been assigned to such a fate.
Conrad closed the door because he knew eventually the sounds from the castle would awake Yuuri, and that was the last thing he wanted.
He told himself to get back in bed, and to ignore the day ahead of him- taking Wolfram's advice was what he really, honestly needed to do- but he couldn't walk away from the double doors of Yuuri's- their?-bedroom. Something about Wolfram's warning had him on edge and his mind was reeling with the meaning of it all.
The fact that he couldn't pick up his sword and cut down the challenges ahead of them suddenly maddened him. He was almost suffocating with the reawakening feeling of being utterly useless. During the night before, he had sat there and let Yuuri sleep, and had wondered why he had never done anything up until this. Would that have made it any easier? If it were him that had slapped him on the very first day of his arrival? Why he hadn't acted as he did on the battlefield, ran forth and just taken Yuuri, alluded him. What in him was so different than the others?
The truth was that he was coming to terms with the fact that he didn't know how to do anything else but protect and kill. But how was love so different? How did Wolfram, so open and so forward, so blatantly claim his love for Yuuri, and understand what it all meant? At eighty-two, no less! Conrad himself would never dare to claim that he knew how deep his love ran. Or what it was. That feeling- that mere thought of it's depth and taste scared him witless. He had never stopped to ponder Julia, but Yuuri was so overwhelmingly there that his choice to ignore him would have failed miserably eventually. Yet how was he so different from his older brother, or Wolfram?
His younger brother would eternally be more skilled with expressing emotion than he was, and he felt the pitiless touch of jealousy creep up in his blood. Adding the idea of Beverly atop it would be suicide.
There was another knock and Conrad jumped, more for fear of it waking Yuuri than surprise. He agonizingly wished for it to be Wolfram again, for him to clear things up and explain it to him. He would ask for advice if his pride would allow him- him, Wolfram's rival in love, asking for advice!-
He swung the door open, not having enough time to be appalled with himself by thinking of his own brother as an enemy, and the blond hair presented itself in it's neat manner. It instantly soothed him, though he'd never say it, and he opened his mouth to acknowledge his brother-
"Sir Weller?"
Waltorana.
There is a subtle difference between the brat prince and his uncle. If Wolfram opens his mouth, there is selfishness and aggression, but there is no malice or hate. Never mind the fact that it used to be so different. Wolfram, in his current form, was now wholly passionate and astute, despite his past.
Waltorana was a snake, and Conrad would never be fooled by his antics- even when he had so easily warmed up to Yuuri- and that cannibalistic description would always fit him like skin.
So, this, this person, was absolutely not Wolfram. The last time Conrad had seen this man was when the mere idea of Yuuri's next marriage came into play. The entire court had shown up, and he had ran into him on the way to training his troops. He had no doubt in his mind that it was probably he who had planted the idea of Yuuri's contract making before all this. He also had no doubt that Waltorana, however observant, would not be able to notice his feelings towards Yuuri.
But at this point, there was no way to hide it.
The court man's eyes drifted over where Wolfram's were moments ago, and Conrad felt utterly exposed and awkward. Lie? Run? He wasn't about to abandon Yuuri.
"Lord Waltorana. Good Morning."
It was the most pleasant voice he could manage. Waltorana caught on to it, and adjusted his surprise, smiling with a hint of a sneer behind it.
"Yes. A good day for a wedding."
Conrad was very good at hiding anger, and thank God he had been born in a world where it was a necessary skill. He fancied punching the man but echoed his mother's words that Royals were Royals. He knew he was still smiling for the sake of appearances, but he could feel the rising pressure on his skin. He was holding his ground, hand still on the inner doorknob, and why, he didn't know. He felt more defensive than usual. He wondered if it had anything to do with the obsidian jewel behind him.
"Well." Waltorana spoke up, after decades of silence. "I suppose if he already has someone to wake him, then I better continue with preparations..." another pause. "Don't you think it's a little early for the King to decide that Beverly isn't... satisfactory? They haven't even had a chance yet."
It took a little while for the meaning to reach him, but once it did, Conrad flared in a way that he hadn't felt in a long time. Shame seeped up his spine and he had to force himself to keep his expression in check. Never mind that his head was reeling with the very implication of what Waltorana was saying- this was crossing on Yuuri's title, if only a little.
A few days ago, Conrad would have stepped down and excused himself. He would have shamefully accepted the fact that he was going nowhere with his king and that he never would, and that every bit that Waltorana was saying was a thousand percent correct-
But now. Now.
Yuuri was sleeping behind him, and had asked that he stay, and had given him word and permission and everything else that Conrad thought was impossible. Where before he had faltered, Yuuri had instilled in him some kind of intrepid want, andhe figured everyone else could go to hell.
"Do you have an issue I can help you with, Waltorana?"
It was amazing that he was keeping composure.
"Issue? No, I was merely stating the obvious."
Despite Conrad's efforts, it was escalating quickly to a very dark conversation in the main hall. He wondered if he should walk out and shut the door behind him and stand threateningly in front of the man, but Yuuri wouldn't be very happy with him. But if it meant Waltorana's insults were directed at him rather than his King, well, he'd happily step out and turn this into a physical talk.
"Well don't you think-" Waltorana pushed again, "that His Majesty has jumped to certain conclusions-"
"If I have, well, I wouldn't want to try out anyone else after last night."
Waltorana quickly bowed at the sound of Yuuri's voice, but he never let his eyes stray from the King's face. Conrad slightly looked to his side and noticed Yuuri, albeit rumpled hair yet so delicately Yuuri- standing beside him.
Waltorana looked at his King when he was done with his bow, an interesting expression on his face that could be read multiple ways, but Yuuri just responded to it with an innocent smile.
Neither would have noticed the underlying shock on Conrad's face- so blatantly obvious and open- thanks to the very interesting aura between the three.
The mere idea of Yuuri alluding to him in such an intimate matter was what probably made him utterly speechless and immobile.
"I'm very surprised to see you so early in the morning, Waltorana. I thought I wouldn't be seeing you until well into the ceremony."
"I would merely wish to see His Majesty before he is readied for such a glorious day."
Conrad stood awkwardly as he realized Shibuya Yuuri was coming to his rescue.
The strange thing was was that it was a very cordial conversation, but with a hint of annoyance seeping from Yuuri's mouth. He had never seen him so openly angered with someone within the castle walls.
"Well, you've seen me, and we are quite busy at the moment- but I will make sure to speak with you later."
It certainly sounded like a threat, or a horrible promise- but the smile on Yuuri's face wouldn't let anyone speak against it.
Waltorana said and did nothing as Yuuri shut the door with a smile, never failing to let his expression slip.
The door was closed and Conrad was almost certain Waltorana would have left instantly due to the fact that his pride had been severely wounded, but he couldn't be sure. That didn't stop Yuuri from facing him and bringing it up.
"That really pissed me off."
As if it couldn't be anymore obvious. Yuuri's eyes were still flashing and his mouth was pliant, awaiting instruction, as if he were about to go off on the nearest person. "I don't know how you do it, Conrad."
"I'm sorry?"
"Deal with sarcasm like that all day and smile the entire time."
For a moment Conrad was scared. Yuuri was right. He had always been able to hold his tongue whenever he needed to, and had always given the appropriate expression at the drop of a hat. Yet moments ago that had completely left him. And against a Royal, no less. He had momentarily lost himself in a whirlwind of emotions that he had never allowed himself to feel.
Yuuri was noticing the confusion in Conrad's eyes and understood exactly what it meant. He also understood the undying pressure of the day ahead of them, and of it's struggles, but he supposed finally being tied to the man made him more concerned over the slight way his brows strained together versus national affairs.
"Don't let what he said get to you."
Conrad realized he was falling out of character again, if he needed to be reassured about anything.
"He's just like that. So negative. I think it runs in the family, to be honest."
And then Yuuri was suddenly there, falling into Conrad's chest and reaffirming everything Conrad thought he had dreamed last night.
Yuuri was cold and the soldier abruptly remembered that they had been under covers moments ago.
"I'm sorry I woke you."
"It's not like it's your fault," Yuuri mumbled in his chest, "if he hadn't shown up, we'd still be sleeping."
"Wolfram came earlier."
Yuuri went rigid in his arms and he instantly felt miserable for bringing it up. He'd meant to just inform him, and forgot about the interesting complexity between all of them now. After this marriage, how would things even be described to anyone? 'Well you see, this is the half breed Sir Weller, who is with his Holy Majesty the King, who has a brother- wait, who's brother?- yes, his Sir Weller's brother the youngest, who had been previously engaged with the King- who's uncle set up adorable Ms. Beverley and-'
Being with Yuuri the entire night had made him pliant with reality, which was now harshly making up for its missed company.
Yuuri was still standing there, waiting for an explanation.
"He came about twenty minutes ago, and I'm pretty sure he didn't expect me to be here. But he wasn't angry."
It didn't help Yuuri relax at all.
"Really, Yuuri. He was here to escort you, but handed the responsibility to me. He told me to enjoy my morning."
Yuuri's face inched up towards Conrad and he stared at him for a second.
"He didn't even yell at you?"
"If he did, you would have woken up to that for sure."
"He didn't demand answers?"
"I'm pretty sure he knows them already."
Yuuri scanned Conrad's eyes for the common sign of discontent that normally came along with disappointing his brothers- but it wasn't there. He just saw the man he had so awkwardly confessed to gazing questionably at him.
"Yuuri?" Conrad tightened his hold a bit more and held on to the one thing he would have left for this one morning. "Wolfram will be fine, he is much more-"
"I'm not worried about Wolfram." Yuuri's eyes illuminated with weight. "I'm watching you."
Conrad was suddenly very aware of his appearance and wished he had readied himself at the hour he normally awoke.
"Well I can assure you that I'm fine." He managed the first smile of the morning and tightened his hold on Yuuri's waist a bit more to emphasize the reason for his wellbeing.
"Will you be fine once I'm technically tied to someone else?" Not even a second had passed once Conrad's good mood fell into a frown.
"I'm not going to lie to you. I'm selfish, and the mere idea makes me... angry. But, Yuuri... I am not going to stand between you and your..."
He didn't have a word for it. Destiny? Fate? He could use neither because he knew now that he was the only one included in those two. Your country? Your responsibility?
"I have a better idea." Yuuri was clinging to the button that had been redone incorrectly. He slipped it into the proper slot. "The stable..."
He looked away from Conrad's face, as if he already knew his idea would be rejected. "Ao is there... and so is your horse. If we only had a good hour, before everyone came to get me, we could reach the shore- and from there it's easy- we've got Earth if we can't make it, and-"
"Yuuri."
He stopped him because it was too painful to listen to something he should have done a long time ago. He couldn't bare the bear the fact that Yuuri had been thinking the same thing the entire time and he hadn't acted upon it. Now this option was so out of reach that Conrad hadn't even considered it.
"The entire nation is awaiting your marriage. You've done too much for them to leave now."
Had they done it years before, it would have been so easy. So easy to forget his brothers and his blood, and so easy to make Yuuri understand that he'd give his life for him, regardless of Yuuri never seeing his arm severed or chest pierced as proof.
Yuuri's forehead gently landed on Conrad's chest in painful submission. "You're right... you always are." You're right. But I wish that you just wouldn't care, if at least momentarily.
Conrad knew it would take along time for them to adjust to this... this life. He knew that this morning was the least of the struggles. He knew that years from now, when Yuuri needed a child, he would lie awake in frustration and a rage that overwhelmed his duty. He knew he would feel his life come up from under him when Yuuri signed that vow, and repeated it- and he knew the pain Yuuri would feel from the lie of it all. He had already thought on it so much that he could already feel the agony of having to embrace him and have him when no one stopped his embarrassing trek down to Conrad's room, when the tongues of the castle were quiet only at night.
Something suddenly boiled in Conrad's chest. He had him- after fifteen years he had Yuuri- and he would have to share him- completely. The only thing that would be theirs would be baseball- the one thing that was always theirs- and nothing more. He would have to take pieces of the life he'd want and hand them out like presents to everyone else. No one would expect any different.
But there were far too many scenarios running in his mind to make what he was saying to himself convincing. In all honesty, he could complete Yuuri's wishes, and try to sneak off before anyone else found them. He could pull the most selfish trick in the book and just pretend that it had never happened. He knew of places to go, and Yuuri was right- they did have Earth- and either way Conrad would be happy to oblige.
He had mere seconds to choose if he wanted to get away with this still. Seconds to choose if his own desire to be wholly with the boy in his arms would overrun everything else. Which was a stupid thing to say to oneself, when you've lived your whole life telling your head that it was completely true. That your life wasn't yours, or your arm, or any of it at all. That nothing mattered if Yuuri would end up happy.
"I won't leave them."
Disappointment was not necessarily the word for it, but Conrad still felt it. Them. He had forgotten that loving Yuuri was the equivalent to loving a country.
The truth wasn't any less stunning than it should have been. Yuuri's words had always had an uncanny jeweler's precision against Conrad's lesser half, and had almost always caused things to happen that Conrad would have never allowed himself to do- but this was just too much. There was nothing they could say to anyone that would fix anything. There was nowhere in the world where guilt wouldn't follow them. And there was no way to step back and watch Yuuri walk, either.
"I'll at least talk to Beverly."
Yuuri wasn't wavering on her name, which meant he had finally come to terms with everything. "Maybe it's not as bad as we think it is. Maybe she'll understand."
Even then, Conrad didn't have the heart to crush that kind of hope. Beverly wasn't the problem. The nation was anticipating a union, and his half blood was finally coiling in defeat.
Yuuri was struggling to keep contact with Conrad, not having enough time to be embarrassed by such close touches in the beginning of their relationship. They both knew that these moments would be unnervingly scarce. Conrad himself, so reserved and so pliant, was having trouble unlinking his arms. They had no time to worry about those things if it meant losing their comfortable quiet.
It was ruptured in an instant.
Someone was yelling outside the bedroom and in the hallway, and Yuuri instantly became all too aware of how close Conrad was. He broke away and swung the door open immediately, noting the pitch of a woman's voice.
Conrad achingly came to his side, reaching out and grabbing his arm before Yuuri could run out into a possible threat.
"It's just a maid!"
And there was one, hysterically running down the hallway towards the King's bedroom.
"What happened?" Conrad loosened his hold and bit the reassurance of his desire down, now that it had come back once he assessed no danger. But the woman was already in front of them, reeling with the news falling from her lips.
"Lord Wolfram! The court- he's meeting the court, and Lord Gwendal sent me here for you two- he says something drastic is about to happen!"
Yuuri grabbed Conrad's hand instantly and tugged him away from the room, forgetting that he wasn't properly dressed, and made for the meeting room.
All right, another filler chapter down. The next chapter is going to be completely wild and chaotic, and most of the story is going to come together! ….meaning a lot of things, including the rating! I'm just warning you guys, in case I get to throw that in soon, so if you're – well, if you aren't necessarily into that, I'm letting you know now how far this story is going.
This was clearly a filler. I had much more, but in the end, it would have really messed up my chapter divisions. So I've ended it here... to see what you guys are predicting! Maybe Conrad was too quick to judge Wolfram's nonchalant morning...? And, ho ho ho, Yuuri's got a backbone!
I really didn't want to try and pose Waltorana as the evil villain. It's really not so much that he's averse to Conrad, but more his blood... I'd argue that he's over that, but I also believe that he still wouldn't be so honky-dorey about handing over Yuuri- who, in his opinion, is the spitting image of Julia- to someone who had failed Julia once. I'm under the impression that Cheri's little phrase, Royals are Royals, is embedded into the minds of a hell of a lot of them- and I feel like Waltorana would try to preserve that in Yuuri, too. Ah, or you could argue that he's a sweetheart. You know, the usual.
This is NOT a Wolfram bashing story, so don't worry about that.
I WANT TO THANK MY REVIEWERS AGAIN PLEASE! Thank you for your support, reviews, ideas, and encouragement! You guys are seriously saving me here!
Shakuya, Sea Queen, Shippygirl, MissPlague, Freaking Cage, Rodick, pheecat, isamu-michi, luminousSpark, aida135, AzalynAngel, Mesonoxian, Phoenix Noir, riceballcrossidol, xJacksonx, and Shane! ALSO: pyrrhicvictoly, for sending me that wonderful McJesus meal I needed to keep going! (The next chapter is going to need a supersize...!)