Yuuri POV Ch 11

***PART ONE***

With a very audible gulp I stare down at the cold metal getting closer to my throat. Everything happened so fast when I heard Wolfram's subordinate shout that I don't really remember what happened between riding and now having a sword to my throat. All I know know is the pure hatred and rage pouring off Wolfram in waves, all directed toward the blond haired man who is currently threatening my life.

"Adalbert!" Wolfram hisses, his eyes on fire as he glares down the man called Adalbert.

"Highness." Adalbert sneers, clearly mocking Wolfram. "Well isn't this a surprise. What are you doing here, so far from your den?"

"Why do you care traitor?"

"Please, I was only trying to be polite." Adalbert purrs, his smile devilish. "Honestly, you never were one to mind your manners."

I can feel the sword get even closer to my neck, the blade centimeters from cutting me. Wolfram growls, and some part of me knows that he would have pounced on Adalbert if not for the fact that doing so could quite possibly kill me.

"Um...hate to break up a obviously sweet reunion, but could you please remove your sword from my neck?" I say nervously, trying not to move an inch. "You know, um, before you kill me by accident?"

"Accident? " Adalbert breaths, his blue eyes wide with surprise. "You think I am pointing a sword at you by accident?" There is a pause before Adalbert bursts out laughing, his mirth sounding cold and when he stops, his eyes are filled with such hostility that even I flinch.

"I am pointing my blade at you because I will kill you if his Highness right here makes any moves." Adalbert responds, his voice cold.

"I am surprised that he let you on his precious horse though. Just what's so special about you?" Adalbert asks quietly. Cocking his head he takes a better look at me, his blue eyes widening as he breathes "A double black." Under his breath before a small, icy smile forms on his face.

"You're Shin Makoto's new king, aren't you? Wow, it's been awhile since I have been in front of direct royalty."

"Since you aspired to take over our home and started a war? Since you betrayed your own kin?" Wolf hisses, surprising me slightly as I had nearly forgotten he was there he was so quiet.

"Yeah, something like that. But I didn't betray no one. You all stopped being my kin the moment Julia was killed."

"It wasn't no one's fault! She hid her wounds from everyone and put all of the others before herself, like a good healer. She did what she felt in her heart to be right. You are the one who betrayed us!"

"Still, you all should have realized it, you should have been able to help her! You let Julia, the love of my life, die in cold blood. And I will never forgive any of you demons for it." There is such anger and such pain in both his words and eyes, his hand is shaking. He lost someone dear to him. The person he thought he was going to live and die with.

I open my mouth to say something, anything, but Conrad's cry and the sound of horseshoes interrupts me and diverts our attention to see conrad coming toward us, two other soldiers on horseback close behind.

Letting out a humph and on leat glare at the both of us, Adalbert removes the blade from my neck and gallops off, Conrad coming to our side seconds later.

"Are you alright? Did he hurt either of you?" Conrad asks anxiously, his eyes roaming my body for any injuries.

"No. He just said a few things then left then he saw you coming." I respond, trying to smile reassuringly. It must have worked form Conrad relaxes and turns to his brother, hitting him lightly on the head.

'What were you thinking Wolfram? Taking our king here, to a battlefield-!"

Wolf just shakes his head, his expression thunderous as he stares off in the direction that Adalbert ran off in. Conrad sighs, clearly giving up and instead tells us to leave. That it wasn't safe.

"But I want to help." I protest "If there is a war about to start, then that's not right! War isn't the answer to anything!"

"But right now I think war is the only way we can gain peace. Sometimes you have to fight and shed blood in order to get the quiet that everyone desires."

Anger slowly filling me I shake my head, my hands clenching into fists.

"No. War doesn't bring peace. It's not right, it brings nothing but death and pain. There has to be another way, a better option than just hurting others!"

There is silence for a moment before Conrad shakes his head, a small sad smile gracing his face. "Majesty, I am happy that you think that way and treasure others so highly. But, it's too late. Villages have been attacked, people killed. Just today," Here Conrad gestures to the billowing smoke behind us, the embers floating in the sky. "There was another attack on one of the few fishing villages. These people don't want peace, and they definitely don't want to talk. They just want to spill demon blood."

"Demon…?" I ask, tilting my head confused.

"It's said that our ancestors and the first king had the blood of ancient demons in their veins, that he created Shin Makoto as a refuge for his people. While we don't have many of their characteristics anymore, that part of our lineage isn't forgotten." Wolf explains, giving me a see-one-more-thing-you-don't-know look. I just grunt in response, pushing the knowledge to the back of my brain, ready to process later.

"Anyway, take me to the village. I wanna help." I demand, looking Conrad straight in his brown eyes. "Please."

Sighing he nods, Wolf making no comment as Conrad turns his horse around, leading us toward the smoke and dancing embers.

Soon we arrive at a makeshift camp, Wolf and Conrad stopping there horses and getting off effortlessly while I stare nervously at the ground, unknowing how to get down without falling and damaging something.

"Can you not get off?" Wolf asks, turning around with his hand on his hip, looking slightly like a god with the embers lighting up his golden hair.

"No I can. I was just waiting." I snap, knowing only too well from my flaming face that I must be red as a tomato. Wolf smirks, gesturing for me to go ahead, waiting for my failure. Groaning inwardly I try to mimic what I saw Wolf do and shift my weight to one foot before trying to swing the other carefully around. Of course with Wolfram's eyes boring into me I end up doing it too quickly and lose my balance, falling backward with a shout.

I wait for the ground to knock the wind out of me but it never comes since I find myself in an embrace. When I look I see Wolfram holding me in his arms and tsking at me.

"I mean really...you're such a wimp that you can't even dismount a horse?"

"I am not a wimp!" I snap, letting out an embarrassed huff. "You can let me down now."

Wolf lets out a disbelieving grunt but does put me down, a smirk still on his face.

'Would you stop it? I've never been on a horse before!" I huff, crossing my arms as Conrad leads us through the camp.

"I can't help it, you're too much of a wimp Yuuri. You can even get on and off a horse properly." Wolf rolls his eyes but I could see almost laughter in his golden gaze and it makes my heart thump. Grumbling under my breath I try to hide my face, not wanting anyone to see the warmth in my cheeks or hear the frantic thumping of my heart.

"We're here Yuuri."

"Huh?" I ask, looking over to where Conrad had stopped in front of a small brown tent, rustling sounds as well as moaning coming from inside.

"You want to help? Go inside and be useful to Von Christ. She probably will love the help." Conrad says, walking over and giving me an encouraging push on the back before grabbing Wolf and dragging him off, saying something about him abandoning his position as a commander.

"Dakauscas! Get over here with that right now!"

A very familiar female voice shouts, a young man in soldier's armor rushing past me into the tent with a bucket of clear water in his arms.

"Finally! Were you going to make me wait all day? Honestly…"

Following the familiar voice inside the tent, I see a young women in soldier's garb, her dark green hair pulled back in its usual braid.

"Gisela?!" I shout, partly because I wanted to be heard over all of the moaning and cries but also because I was taken aback to see her here. The girl whips around, her big green eyes sharp.

"Yuuri? What are you doing here?" Gisela asks, her eyes widening in surprise.

"It's a long story. Let's just say that a bunch of stuff happened thanks to Wolf." I say, smiling. Anyway Conrad sent me here to help you. So, how can I be of service?"

"Um well...I guess you could help tie bandages…" Gisela responds, nodding toward a few of the beds next to the one she was standing by. "But be carefull."

"Alright." I nod, going over to one of the beds Gisela had nodded toward, a young auburn haired man laying atop it. As soon as I stand over him, the stench of blood and sweat hits me full force, nearly causing me to gag. Pushing the feeling down I grab some bandages from the bedside table, carefully pulling up the man's damaged leg and starting to wrap the bandage around the wound.

Finished I move on to the next patient and the next till I am on my sixth and last person, this one a strong looking middle aged man. But when I told him I was going to bandage his arm, he yelled and screamed at me to go away and not to touch him.

"Please stop that. I only am trying to help you." I snap, pissed at the man's hostile tone.

"Demon! How could I let the likes of you even come near me? Go away you hellspawn!"

I flinch, taken aback.

"It's ok Yuuri, I'll take over." Gisela suddenly says, gently touching my shoulder from behind before taking the bandages from my hands and wrapping the man's arm herself. Sighing I leave, the man's harsh words echoing in my ears and making my hands clench. What is with these people? I was only trying to help! Huffing I stomp off in the direction that Wolf and Conrad went in, too pissed to be around others. Ugg, since when did being around Wolfram calm me down? I sigh, shaking my head as I pass by tent after tent until I come to a small opening overlooking the burning town, Conrad and Wolfram as well as Gwendal all standing on the hilltop looking down. As I got closer I could hear the three brothers conversing, Wolfram's voice coming out clear.

"Are you sure brother?" Wolfram was saying, looking out over the town.

"Yes. I heard it from most of the villagers, and most of my soldiers are saying the same thing."

"Huh...so they truly want war then…"

"Who want war?" I shout, running over and glaring at the three brothers. "What are you three talking about?"

"Yuuri! What are you doing here, you are supposed to be in the healer's tent with Gisela!" Wolf snaps, giving me a look.

I shuffle my feet, somehow feeling like I had let Wolf down somehow. "That doesn't matter." I mutter, unable to look Wolfram in the eye. "I wasn't much help, so I came here. I wanna help! Why aren't you trying to put the fire out? It'll burn the entire village at this rate, not to mention us!"

"Because," Wolf snaps, talking to me like I was a child, "It's too dangerous. Right now our best hope is to make a blockade so that the fire doesn't spread to here."

"But what of the villagers homes? Are you just going to let them burn?" I snap, anger filling me.

Wolf can only shake his head and look away, his stiff posture and clenched hands telling me enough.

"Why? Why did this happen?" I breathe, my hands shaking in anger.

"It can't be helped. This attack came completely by surprise. No one thought that our people had gotten to the point where they were afraid of us."

"Us? What do you mean?" I ask, looking up at Gwendal.

"The royals. Apparently someone is rallying others to create a uprising, saying that our ancestors slept with demons, and that all nobles are descendants of evil." Conrad says grimly, Gwendal stiffening.

"They attacked this village because this was one of Blood Pledge castle's main fishing town. We have worked with these people since they started a fishing town here, back when outsiders could still come and create a living here." Wolf mutters angrily, his shoulders shaking and his hands clenched.

"They attacked for such a reason…?" I ask, unable to feel anything but shock. Conrad and Wolf nod, Gwendal grunting in response. I could only stand there, completely taken by surprise as I realized that all of this happened just because of a silly legend. Shock and surprise is all I can feel until with a huge blast, the fire gets worse, possibly having hit some kind of ignition. I could hear the cries of the villagers as they watched their homes go up in flames, the places they had put all of their time and love into going up in fire.

"No...no! Unacceptable...I won't let this stand!" I snarl, anger consuming me in great waves. "I swear, as King of Shin Makoto, I won't let these vermin get away with harming others ever again!" I let out a feral cry, my body becoming not my own as I let out another scream, tears pouring down my face as somewhere inside me, I could hear crying. I was being consumed by it, this great and overpowering sadness and pain of the land, my own anger mixing with it and pouring out of me, circling up into the sky.

The land is crying...the earth is in pain...Someone whispers inside my head as I could feel raindrops landing, the sound like that of tears.

"Rain...he was actually able to call the rain..."

I hear what sounds like Gwendal mutter before a powerful exhaustion hits me and I fall.