Chapter 11

Wolfram took Yuuri by the hand and led him away. He knew where to go next and what to do, but he also needed the new maou's cooperation. This will be easy enough, he thought. He also noted, with a glow of pride, that Yuri wasn't holding his hand limply. He was squeezing it back.

They approached the flowerbed and stopped.

"This is where you wanted to take me?"

"This plan usually works," Wolfram said with a devious smirk. "Obviously, you know nothing about courting anyone. This morning, Gwendal told me that you didn't know much about our customs. And, I can believe that. You're so bad, it's embarrassing. So, I'll just have to tutor you." The blond smiled at him. But Yuuri wasn't exactly thrilled about this conversation. And this "courting" business was starting to make him feel something again that he didn't like. He frowned.

The blond straightened up his cadet's uniform and flipped his hair back. "You don't have to be like that. Just listen to me, right?"

A voice floated in from the distance. "Wolfie! Oh, Wolfie!"

He let his blond head droop. "Mother," he sighed under his breath. He straightened up and rolled his eyes. Yuuri couldn't help, now, but smirk.

Cecile, wearing a red dress and matching sunhat, came walking up to them on Gwendal's arm. Yuuri noted, with some surprise now, that Wolfram's demeanor had totally changed. He withdrew into himself, stood stiffly, and had a blank look on his face. He blinked mildly at the pair approaching them.

"It's so good to see you out here in the fresh air, Wolfie!" Her eyes seemed to be searching her child for some sign of illness. Seeing none, she brightened. Her green eyes turned to the double black. "Heika! How kind of you to be spending time with your fiancé." Her smile sparkled. "You're both so handsome. I could just eat you up."

Wolfram frowned and stared at the ground awkwardly. "Mother," he said under his breath again. He kicked the dirt a little.

"Oh, how cute! You're embarrassed. Now, remember, you need to smile more often or you'll get another wrinkle like Gwendal."

Both Gwendal and Wolfram gave each other glances that said "I wish she'd just shut up for once." Then, seeing each other's faces, the brothers shared a private smile between them. Yuuri noticed that Gwendal seemed relieved. Being honest with himself, Yuuri admitted that he felt the same way. His eyes turned to Wolfram again, much happier than before. This is the Wolfram that I know. This is the stricter and almost shy person that I'm used to sleeping with. His eyes widened at the thought. No, I mean…we always sleep together. We just don't SLEEP TOGETHER. He pictured a pink nightgowned Wolfram in his arms and then blocked out the image in his head. And, I'm not sure why I'm thinking about this in the first place.

"Well, we must be going," Gwendal said in his usual, bored tone, "because I have a mountain of paperwork to do." He cast a wiggly eyebrow at Yuuri, who only shrugged back with a sheepish grin from ear to ear.

Once they were gone, Wolfram's posture slouched a bit. His green eyes took on an impish slant and he grabbed Yuuri by the shoulders. "Right! Back to what we were doing."

Wait! No, I had the old Wolfram back. No… I don't want it to change again.

For a second, Yuuri desperately needed to smack his head against something.

"Here we go," Wolfram said and scanned the flower bed. "Usually, I prefer the flowers named after me. But, as there aren't any…" He cast an almost sexy grin at Yuuri, who visibly jumped at the attention. A dark chuckle followed. "We'll just have to go with Conrad." The blond pointed to the blue flowers—Conrad Stands Upon the Earth. "You'll need five of those."

"I'm going to feel stupid walking around with flowers in my hands."

"Just do it," the blond said back with arms crossed. "And, as your official fiancé, save the last one of those for me."

"And just why am I doing this?" the double black asked, suspicious.

"Because you love me with all your heart," came the reply dripping with sarcasm. A sly grin followed. He was enjoying himself too much.

Love? Yuuri briefly considered walking away with a scowl on his face. His pride told him to do that.

"Fine! Fine!" Wolfram griped in a pouty voice, "You owe me because I made you laugh. Now, pay attention. I'm going to teach you something of cultural significance." He leaned in closer to Yuuri, searching dark eyes for that spark of agreement, and said gently, "You are interested in our culture. Right?"

The double black felt something inside tug at him when Wolfram leaned in close. He tried to ignore it. But, forgetting it—letting go of it—almost hurt. Still, that didn't mean that he was happy with the blond at all.

Yuuri went down on one knee and picked five flowers that he thought were quite suitable. But, the whole time, he kept looking up and over his shoulder at Wolfram with a sour expression on his face.

"Now, the next step in courting is the greeting part," Wolfram said impishly, walking at a casual pace next to Yuuri with his hands in his pockets. "As the higher ranking one and the fact that you have met them already, you must do the introductions."

"I know how to do that," he returned followed by an impatient sigh.

"Good," Wolfram replied but gave him a sharp look out of the corner of his eye anyway. "Remember to introduce the higher ranking person to the lower ranking person—or, in this case, persons."

Higher? Lower? Yuuri got a devilish grin at the thought. He turned his head and said, "Doesn't the Great Sage outrank you?" He liked making that point because, in Yuuri's mind at least, Murata was his friend from school first and the Great Sage second. But, if Wolfram was going to be picky…

"True. But, he remembers me and I don't remember him. So, it would be awkward. Plus, he's with the girls. And, I've never met them, either. Therefore, introduce me to them."

"Fine, fine," Yuuri said with another shrug. "But, I still feel stupid with the flowers."

They walked on a little and could see Murata Ken with the three girls sitting on a blanket. They were enjoying their drinks and a plate of sandwiches. From the angular way they were cut and arranged on the plate, Yuuri had guessed that Sangria had made the sandwiches today. Her sandwiches were especially good.

Yuuri also noticed that Wolfram was walking closer to his side now—a lot closer than usual. He began to sweat.

"Now, when you are interested in someone, you can lean up against them a little," Wolfram said smugly. "If they don't move away, they're okay with the contact. That means that you can try, a little later on, putting a hand on top of his or her hand."

"His?" Yuuri said hollowly. Now, he wasn't enjoying this lesson at all.

"Oh, sorry," Wolfram apologized with a little impatience. "I forgot."

That's not the only thing you've forgotten, Yuuri thought dryly.

"Engage in only light conversation," Wolfram continued, "and stay away from the subjects of money, religion, and mating."

Deciding to needle Wolfram a little more, Yuuri said, "Isn't 'mating' your whole point?"

He stopped. Yuuri stopped too, wondering what the problem was. Wolfram had turned pink and was visibly shrinking back. "What kind of immoral question is that? Are you implying something?"

Emerald eyes had a fire in them that Yuuri easily recognized.

"Uh, no!" Yuuri said, surprised that Wolfram would suddenly come across as a prude. "I'm not calling you…easy."

Wolfram's jaw dropped at the last word. He couldn't believe what his ears were clearly telling him. "We're just meeting them." The blond sighed impatiently. What an idiot! "I'll teach you how to find a concubine at another time." They resumed their walk, which felt more like a march now that the blond was insulted.

"Oi, Wolfram! You know how to do that?" Yuuri shot back, astounded. He was struggling to keep up.

Wolfram glanced sideways as he went. He noticed the awkward way, trudging through the grass, Yuuri was trying to keep up and decided to let go of his anger—no "irritation"—after all. "I don't have one myself. But, you'd be surprised what you can learn in the library when your tutors aren't looking," the blond said, giving him an elbow to the ribs, "the fourth maou left some explicit instructions on how to find one of the proper rank." He winked and Yuuri felt bile rise up in his throat.

The blond saw the expression and laughed just a little. It was hard for him to stay mad at the new mou for very long for some odd reason that he couldn't fathom. Wolfram linked arms with Yuuri as they went.

"Don't worry, Yuuri-Heka, I'll take care of you."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

"I'm b-a-c-k," said the girl called out tiredly. She had just stabled her horse and circled around the front. She reached a hand up, grabbed a fist-full of pink wig and ripped it off her head as she entered the front door of the gabled two story home with the workshop and blacksmith detached and further off to the southeast.

Yozak, still in disguise, watched the house from the road. His horse was looking longingly at a delicious patch of thick, green grass and was, quickly, nibbling his way in that direction.

Yozak had only caught a glimpse of the retreating form. But, he could see mousy brown hair that had been tied back and flattened to fit under the wig. He closed his eyes briefly to remember the face. After all, he had flirted with her and she seemed to like it. The color of her eyes could be fake, too. But, not the shape of them. Round eyes that slanted slightly in the corners when she smiled. Thin eyebrows. She had a heart-shaped face and a slightly sharp nose, too. Medium sized frame and huge, wide… He coughed into his fist slightly in a Gwendal-ish fashion when he remembered her breasts. But, there had been something, too. Yes, there was a very small tattoo that was peeking out from the sleeve of her left shoulder. That's what they'd joked about. It was in the shape of a soldier's shield with an "X" on it in green. Her face had flushed when he'd pointed it out. And, then she said that she'd been drinking and lost a bet with a customer.

Slowly, Yozak turned his horse around. He hoped that he could find his way back to the main road before...

There was a clap of thunder from way off.

He stared up, watching low hanging clouds churning from up above. Thick black clouds moved in and pushed out the sun.

Yozak scratched his head in thought as his horse headed up towards the main road. Now, he knew where the girl lived and that she wasn't alone in the house. But, there were other things he needed to find out, though, and soon. There was another clap of thunder. With the rain coming, I guess, I'd better leave. Standing out in the rain will get me noticed for certain. What he also needed to do, now, was report back on the five with the "gift" given to them by the barmaid. Some part of him really wanted to know exactly what the note said, too. What he was certain of, without even seeing it, was that the package wrapped up and given as a present to the assassins was another quiver of painted arrows.

Another clap of thunder came from above and Yozak spurred his horse onward.

Heading in his direction was a workhorse and cart driven by a red freckled teenage boy. His hair didn't seem to match the freckles, though, but clashed with them. The dull, hazel eyes showed exactly how much fun he was having with his task—bringing a load of dung to the fields. Crappy job.

"Excuse me," farmer Yozak said with a friendly wave.

"Huh?" The teen driver saw the farmer and drew rein sharply. He didn't see strangers in this neck of the woods. So, naturally, he was a little suspicious.

"Umm…Hi, there!" he said to the frowning face. I sell apples and I was just wondering of you or anyone around here would be interested in buying a few bushels next month."

"Oh, a salesman," the teen said, looking bored all over again. "Look, there's a peach orchard just down the road. So, I guess, we'll probably get fruit from them. Though, I suppose, people could want apples, too." He thought out loud.

Yozak's smile tightened slightly. Oh, this kid's got a slug for a brain. Sheesh! "Yes, well," farmer Yozak said, gritting his teeth to smile wider, "would your family be interested?"

"Nah, most of my family's not even in these parts. I'm working a job for the local merchant, a cousin of mine, in town until his broken arm heals. And, today, my job is…" He motioned to the putrid smelling cowplop in the cart behind him.

"Oh, I see…" Yozak said, intentionally making his smile dim a little. "Then, how about the people around here? That house, for instance." He pointed to the gabled house with the blacksmith's shop. It was in easy view of the road.

"Oh, them? The Meigers?" The teen looked left and right—making sure that no one saw them talking. There was nothing—and no one—on the road or in the fields. So, he felt relatively safe. "They were once high up—really high up in the royal courts around 40 or 50 years ago. Then, something happened. I'm not sure what because no one around here wants to tell me." The guy laughed and pulled back on the reins when the horse wanted to slowly start rolling forward. It came to an abrupt halt again. "You know, it's one of those secrets that everybody in town knows but won't say."

Farmer Yozak shot him a curious grin. "Really now?" He cocked his head sideways. "I wonder what stops people from talking."

"Yeah, well, you'd keep your mouth shut, too, if you knew what they do. What their family business is…"

"They seem to own land—a lot of it, too. Nice, large home. I'd say they look like gentleman farmers with," he craned his neck at the fields, "maybe blacksmithing and a little small animal husbandry."

The teen laughed a dorky, huffy laugh. "That's what it appears to be, huh?" His shoulders slumped forward with the next huffy sound that escaped him.

"Okay," Yozak said, "so everyone fears them because of blacksmithing?" His eyes twinkled in mischief.

"Weapons," the teen said in a raspy whisper. "They make the very best…for the very best. If ya know what I mean." Then, he looked around again. "I can't say that I know them all personally. I don't want to and everybody else feels the same way. Only the merchants like the color of their gold. But, they don't want them hanging around their shops or nothin'. So, many times, they have things delivered."

"Oh, well… it appears to be a big family. So, delivery would be convenient," Yozak said, fishing for information.

"Nope, again. It's just a bunch of hired hands in the autumn who do everything in the fields. There's the brother—I haven't seen him for weeks and weeks on end. And there's the sister. She's very pretty. But, she's also bad news, too. She'd probably snap her bridegroom's neck on the wedding night just to get at his wallet."

"Oh, that type, eh?"

"Easily. Their father died about six months back. His bones are in the graveyard now. So, it's just the brother, sister, and a hand full of servants, right now. But the one that seems to be their blacksmith is especially tough. Avoid him."

Yozak cursed the skies when it let out another clap. He really wanted to ask more questions.

"Well, I'd best be goin'," the teen grumbled, scanning the skies. Then, he looked at Yozak sincerely and said, "And I'd appreciate it if you'd keep all this to yourself. Gossipers, especially when it comes to the Meiger family, tend to meet up with trouble." Then, he winked at Yozak. "But, as I'm leaving for home in two weeks, I feel I can pretty much say what I think."

"Good luck," Yozak said as the first drop of rain fell on his nose—washing some of the dirt off. Now, it really was time to go. "I'd better head for that inn in town."

The teen nodded. "Ride hard and you'll be there in a few minutes. Good day."

Yozak gave a polite little bow, and started riding. The rains looked like they'd start falling fairly soon. And that would certainly delay any of the homing pigeons that he might send. He would have to wait until the rains let up. And that wasn't good.

The three young ladies and Murata were sitting and chatting quietly on the red and black checkered cloth. There was a plate of sandwiches between them.

The three sisters were Adelade, her twin sister Adelina, and their younger sister, Gracelynn.

Murata leaned back a little and flashed the girls his trademark smile. Twins! Identical, blond, pretty, and slightly ditzy. This was every guy's fantasy. The younger sister, brunette and sweet natured, didn't appeal to him in the slightest. She was too young for him. Then again, when Murata really thought about it, just about everyone was too young for him. But The Great Sage reminded himself that in this body, Murata was relatively young and needed to enjoy life occasionally. He'd need to make a lot of memories to reflect back on because, he knew from experience, that he'd do just that once he was settled down and married for over fifty years—again.

Twins! They are both so cute, too, he reflected in a pervy fashion that seemed perfectly fine with him.

"Excuse us," Yuuri said, feeling like he was barging in—which he was. "Someone," and he glanced at Wolfram, "was telling me to come by and say hello."

"Maou!" all three girls exclaimed at once.

Murata gave both guys a crooked smile and folded his arms. This was unexpected, but he was also vastly amused at watching a totally self-important young Wolfram and a slightly blushing Yuuri standing there with blue flowers. Yes, it was funny. He pushed his glasses up on his nose a little and said, "Nice bouquet, Shibuya."

Yuuri almost flinched at that. Okay, so it wasn't his idea, Murata reflected, turning his head to the other. So, it has to be…Wolfram's idea. Hmmm… He glanced at Wolfram who was giving him a very direct stare.

And why, Murata thought, does it look like he's undressing me with his eyes?

To test his theory, he winked and Wolfram turned away awkwardly.

This could be…a little bit…fun.