Title: Best Served Cold
Rating: PG-13, for some insinuations, I guess.
Prompt being used: Perspective Change—Retell an event from canon through a different perspective.
Timeline: Set during Season one, when Yuuri is on the hunt for (Melgib) Morgif.
Summary: Anissina plots her revenge against Gwendal for leaving her high and dry. Things do not quite go according to plan, however.

Disclaimer: I own none of these very entertaining characters, please don't sue me. Thank you.

How dared he!

How dared he?!

Anissina seethed as she sat at her desk and crumpled up a sheet of parchment. It had been three weeks, but the anger was still so very fresh; her blood still boiled every time she thought about The Incident, as she had taken to calling it.

Bad enough that Gwendal had just turned around and left without a backward glance when Lady Celi had given him Gunter's message, but then once he had returned to the castle…

He had greeted her perfectly civilly when he had seen her, like he had a hundred times before, as if absolutely nothing had happened between them, as if their very relationship hadn't suddenly changed.

Well, of course, once he'd made it clear he wasn't going to acknowledge this thing between them, she'd decided she'd be damned if she'd break first and confront him about it. She'd keep silent and ignore it all—just like him—for a hundred years, if that was how long it would take him to grow a pair and just—

Her rage and frustration boiled over, then, and she furiously scratched out her rough diagrams for another invention, pressing the point of her quill deep into the paper. With no other outlet for her anger, she had spent the past few weeks in her lab drawing up elaborate war devices, each meant to humiliate the enemy as much as defeat them.

She took particular pleasure in the idea of testing out these inventions—she even had detailed diagrams of what would happen to said test subject—all of which featured a certain grey haired Mazoku.

But it still wasn't enough.

She wanted to make Gwendal suffer.

Anissina got her opportunity when the Maou finally returned to Shin Makoku. She had been surprised when he had decided to leave on an expedition to retrieve Morgif, he had spoken so forcefully to her of preventing war, but then it was only to expected, she supposed. Men never could resist weapons—the more powerful, the better.

She was sitting in the tea room and having a late brunch, ignoring Gunter's wails about how he hoped the Maou was safe on his journey to find the legendary Morgif, when the door opened and Gwendal strode in.

She stiffened as his gaze moved to her, but she kept the serene smile on her face and nodded politely at him. He turned to address Gunter, and she looked away, clenching her teeth. She nearly dropped her teacup, though, when Gunter suddenly grabbed Gwendal by the head.

Her instinctive reaction was to laugh, but when she saw the discomfort in Gwendal's eyes as he shook himself free, she filed the information away for later use. She didn't yet know how it would prove useful, but half of science was observation, as she always liked to say. She stayed in her seat as Gwendal turned and left without a backward glance, stating that he couldn't deal with Gunter in his state. Soon the sound of his footsteps had died away and she felt some of the tension leave her as she carefully set her teacup down.

'Oh, Lady Anissina, what am I going to do?' Gunter sighed as he sat down across from her and absently poured himself a cup of tea. 'King Yuuri is gone, with only Conrart and Yozak—and that little brat—to keep him safe! Oh, why did I not accompany them? I never should have let Gwendal talk me into staying behind!'

Anissina answered with a preoccupied nod, still wondering how it was possible that she could be attracted to such a stupid man. She was an intelligent woman, she knew there were other fish in the sea, but there was something about Gwendal that—

'Hmm?'

'You're right!'

She looked up at that, wondering what she had just inadverdently agreed to. Gunter had his hands clasped before him in an attitude of determination, and his eyes were narrowed. 'You're absolutely right, Lady Anissina! I need to do all I can to keep the Maou safe, and that means being prepared.'

He got up with a nod of gratitude, leaving her staring bemusedly after his departing form.

She soon found out what he had meant, though, when the fumes first hit her. At first it was a mild cough. Then her eyes began to water. But worst of all was the smell. She had to keep a hand clamped over her mouth to keep her gag reflex at bay, and after opening all the windows of her lab and vainly waiting fifteen minutes to see if the fumes would dissipate, she had had enough.

She gritted her teeth as she placed a handkerchief over her mouth and nose before opening her door. She had a sinking suspicion that she had somehow encouraged Gunter to make another one of his fortune telling potions, and she made a vow that from now on she would pay attention when he spoke, even if she had to listen to endless praise of their new Maou.

She staggered down the hallways, passing the similary afflicted, many of them fleeing toward Gisela's office. She didn't know if they were going for medical attention or because they hoped the healer would be able to reason with her father, but she was sure the only one able to handle Gunter now would be Gwendal. And that was where she was headed, because much as she loathed the idea of going to him for anything, considering their current situation, she wanted results.

She kicked his door open, and he looked up, frowning.

--

Gwendal stood up in alarm as Anissina seized her stomach and rushed to the open window. A noxious odour followed her into the room, and he hurried to shut the door behind her. Once his office was safe from whatever madness was currently gripping Convenant Castle, he turned to her.

She was taking in deep breaths of fresh air, still holding her handkerchief to her mouth. He moved toward her, worried at the pasty white of her face, and the way she clutched at the window sill with her other hand.

'Are you alright?' he asked her, laying a cautious hand on her arm. She turned fiery blue eyes on him, her glittering gaze dropping to his hand, and he pulled it away, flushing. They had hardly spoken since that night three weeks ago, when they had almost kissed, and certainly this had been the first time he had touched her since then.

He turned to face her, leaning back against the window sill as she took deep breaths, obviously working to quell her nausea. Her eyes were closed, and he took the opportunity to study her.

She did not seem any different from the woman he had known for nearly all his life, and he wondered that he could suddenly see her so differently when she had not changed at all. But then, perhaps he was the one who had changed, he mused. He knew he was the same outwardly, but he felt different whenever he looked at her.

They had been away from each other for nearly a decade, and the first time he had been able to speak to her for any length of time she had had that damned potion with her…he didn't know if there had been something hidden inside him which the potion had drawn out, but he knew he didn't want to feel something just because he had been compelled to feel it. And he was even surer he didn't want her to want him just because of a potion.

Of course, it was all a moot point now. He had gone on his mission with Conrart, leaving it up to her, though he had hoped that when he returned, she would come to him—if she had truly felt anything for him, she would have—but she had chosen to ignore it entirely in favour of falling back into their familiar routine. It had hurt, and he had distanced himself from her, concentrating instead on researching the edicts and laws that had been passed by Stoffel in his absence and trying to keep up with the Maou's paperwork while the boy was away.

And now here she was, in his office, just like old times. She opened her eyes then, taking a last deep breath. She made to speak, but he held up a hand, motioning instead toward a nearby chair. He glared at her when she stubbornly remained standing, her eyes narrowed at him in determination.

'Gwendal,' she said shakily, 'you have to do something about Gunter. The whole castle is reeking! Nearly everyone is in Gisela's office, and those who didn't make it are probably bent over their chamber pots even as we speak!'

'Gunter is responsible for this?' he asked, surprised.

'He's making one of his potions,' she replied, coughing a little before covering her nose. 'Apparently it's part of a ritual to look into the future. He plans to monitor the Maou's progress from here.'

Gwendal raised a hand to his forehead, shaking his head. Ever since the new Maou had arrived, Gunter had turned…strange, there was no other word for it. He never would have thought Gunter would attach himself so strongly to the half human, but clearly the man was on his way to becoming obsessed with Shibuya Yuuri.

'I'll take care of it,' he promised Anissina, and she sagged against the window sill in relief. He hesitated before turning away, looking back at her to make sure she was feeling better. 'Stay here for a while,' he told her finally, pausing on his way out of the door. 'Atleast until you feel better.'

He closed the door firmly behind him as he went.

--

When Anissina woke, it was evening. She glanced around the room, disoriented by the strange surroundings for a moment, before remembering where she was. She rose from the chair, her back protesting at the cramped position she had occupied for so long. She guessed it had been nearly four hours since she had come to talk to Gwendal, which would make it about eight in the evening. She sighed as she stretched her aching muscles, evidently the fumes had tired her out more than she had realised.

She moved to the desk, picking up and lighting a candlestick she found there, cautiously making her way to the door and opening it. She gave the air an experimental sniff, and broke out in a relieved sigh when she found it free of the fumes. She frowned then, wondering where Gwendal was. If he had been able to talk some sense into Gunter, he should have been back by now, but evidently he had not returned.

Closing the door to his office, she walked purposefully down the hallway to Gunter's suite of rooms. She stopped outside the door, rummaging in her pockets for her handkerchief. Better to be prepared, after all. She raised the handkerchief to her nose and mouth and pushed the door open.

Her eyes widened as she took in the scene before her. Gunter and Gwendal were sitting crosslegged on the floor, a bubbling cauldron between them. She observed thankfully that now the fumes from the potion were moving up into a chimney and not out into the castle. A kitten was in Gwendal's arms, and both men were laughing. No, she shook her head, correcting herself. They weren't laughing, they were giggling. Gwendal was giggling.

'Gwendal?' she addressed him hesitantly.

He looked up at her, and she raised her eyebrows at the sunny smile he gave her. 'An'snna!' he slurred happily, setting off another attack of giggles from Gunter, and she shook her head in disbelief. 'Come on, come in, come on join us!' Gunter called, and her lips twisted as she struggled to contain her laughter at the sight of the two of them like this.

'I, ah, am working on something,' she replied in a shaky voice, working to control her twitching lips. 'Maybe later.'

She closed the door on their disappointed exclamations, moving away before giving way to her laughter. As she chuckled to herself, though, the glimmer of a plan began to form in her mind.

This is going to be delicious, she thought to herself, already anticipating Gwendal's look of horror. A wicked smile made its way to her lips as she rubbed her hands together, but when she rang for the maids ten mintues later and asked them for a tea tray, she was back to being in perfect control of herself.

She did allow herself a small smirk, though, especially when the wild laughter from the room behind her got a little too loud.

--

Pain.

That was the first thing Gwendal was aware of when he tried to open his eyes. The brief glimpse of his surroundings had assured him he was in his own bedroom rather than at the healer's, so that was a relief.

'Good morning!' a cheery voice called, and he squeezed his eyes tighter shut against the pain the sound caused in his aching head.

He raised a hand to his forehead, rubbing in small circles and hoping the pain would go away. He couldn't recall the last time he had drunk enough alcohol to have a hangover, and he frowned at the very unwelcome reminder of what it felt like.

'I said, good morning!' the voice chirped again, and he slowly pried his eyes open to see Anissina standing before him.

'Grrh,' he responded as he slowly raised himself to a sitting position, and she laughed.

'I'm not surprised you feel that way,' she said, dragging a chair to his bedside and sitting down in it. 'You did have a most…eventful night, after all.'

He raised an eyebrow at her, ignoring his pounding headache. 'What do you mean, 'eventful'?'

'You don't remember any of it? Must be the effect of the fumes from the potion. Oh dear, Gunter is going to be so disappointed.'

'Anissina,' he warned her, 'I'm not in the mood. Just tell me what happened.'

Painfully, he made his way to the water pitcher in the corner of the room and splashed some water on his face. He couldn't really recall anything embarassing from last night, though he knew he had put himself at risk by exposing himself to the fumes for so long. Well, there had been no help for it, not when he had wanted to save that cute little kitten from ending up in another one of Gunter's potions. Things had gotten a little fuzzy the longer he had stayed in there, though, he couldn't even recall getting into his bed last night…

He examined his face in the mirror as he waited for Anissina's answer. His eyes were bloodshot, and he needed to shave and bathe before he went out and faced the rest of the castle. There were still things he needed to see to—

'You and Gunter got a little…how should I put this…close…last night.'

There was a world of innuendo in her voice, and he whirled around in horror, remembering too late not to make any sudden movements. He clutched his aching head as he stared at her in shock. 'What?!'

'Yes, I was a little surprised myself,' Anissina replied, picking a bit of lint off his bedspread unconcernedly. 'Especially since you didn't even care that the maids were in the same room.'

'The maids?!' he choked, unable to complete the rest of the sentence.

She nodded blithely while he staggered back against the table behind him, his mind reeling. 'How is that even possible?'

'The fumes from the potion were very potent,' she replied, turning to face him at last. 'Evidently they made you drop all your inhibitions.' Her eyes glittered at the last word, and he could've sworn she looked angry all of a sudden, before she turned away again.

'Well, since you don't seem to remember it, I don't think Gunter will, either. But I doubt the maids will be forgetting anytime soon. Especially since they made notes.'

He shuddered, wondering wildly if he could crawl back into bed for the next decade. He looked up when a chair scraped against the floor, and saw that Anissina was standing, now.

'Time for me to be off,' she said, walking briskly to the door. 'I have things to do, people to meet; after all, your mother would be most pleased to hear of this development—'

He leaped to her side, slamming the door shut and clamping a hand to her arm, spinning her around in the process. 'You will tell my mother nothing!'

She raised an eyebrow at him, looking pointedly down at his hand. He ignored it, only tightening his grip on her. 'You will tell my mother nothing,' he repeated. 'I honestly don't believe anything of the sort even happened,' he went on, putting the thing that had been nagging at him into words.

'Are you calling me a liar?' Anissina asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

He shook his head, but persisted. 'Did you see me and,' he choked, 'Gunter—with your own eyes?'

She hesitated a moment, and he felt a wave of relief wash over him. 'You must have been mistaken. I knew there was no way I would ever have—'

'Why not?'

He blinked. Her eyes were blazing, now, and she was looking at him strangely. 'Why not?' she repeated, stepping closer to him. 'Why wouldn't you be attracted to Gunter?'

She had gone very still, waiting for him to answer, and he thought he saw a gleam of hope in her eyes. Abruptly, he realised what she was trying to ask him, and he stiffened. The light in her eyes died a little as she observed his posture, her expression becoming shuttered and blank. She turned her head away, shaking herself free of him as she fumbled for the door handle, but he slammed the door shut again, just as she had started pulling it open.

He took a deep breath. It was now or never, and hadn't he been waiting for an opportunity like this?

'Because there's someone else.'

Her stunned eyes met his, and he raised his hand to her cheek. 'Anissina,' he began, over the pounding of his heart, 'I—'

They both jumped then, a knock on the door making them step away from each other. Anissina quickly moved to his side, and he called out, 'Enter.'

Gisela appeared in the doorway, eyes widening at his disheveled appearance. 'Are you alright, Excellency?' she asked, looking him over worriedly. 'I was just with my father, he was in some considerable pain.'

'I'm fine,' he told her shortly, but she frowned at him in reply. 'Do you have a headache? You keep squinting against the light—'

'I think this is my cue to leave,' Anissina said, moving out of the open doorway.

'Wait!' he called after involuntarily. They hadn't even—he had just been about to—

She looked back at him over her shoulder and gave him a small smile. 'You know where to find me.'

He nodded dazedly, his head in a whirl as he watched her turn and walk away, even as Gisela directed him to a chair and started passing her hands over his aching head.

A/N: Title from the proverb 'Revenge is a dish best served cold.'

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