Chapter 12: Shaken To The Core
Yuuri leaned against the window of the carriage staring back at his vanishing castle in the distance. Dorian sat across from the young king in silence until the horizon lost all signs of the demon kingdom's town.
"Wolfram will forgive you." The elder man said, as if reading the other boy's mind. Yuuri sighed dramatically and turned to face Dorian.
"I just feel awful. I know that this is the right thing to do, but I hate lying to him. He will be sooo pissed!" Yuuri exclaimed. Dorian chuckled.
"Wolfram is a stubborn, but...passionate individual. He will give in to you as soon as you ask him to." The man stated with certainty. Yuuri looked doubtful.
"No one has ever lied to him like this before, and he has changed recently. I don't think he will be so placid about this." The young king said thoughtfully.
The rest of the ride consisted of small talk and ranting about the young blonde prince and trying to figure out what his reactions to Yuuri's return might be. The two arrived at Dorian's mansion later in the evening.
It was not quite what Yuuri was expecting from a man who had such unspeakable power. The so-called mansion was quite small, and plain. It also seemed that the house was made from simple bricks, not near as fancy as the polished stones of Blood Pledge Castle. Dorian smiled, and held his hand out to Yuuri.
"What do you think your highness?" He said in a pleasant tone. Yuuri took the hand in order to get down from the carriage, then smiled up at the place.
"It is truly a sight to see." Yuuri said with a smile, Dorian chuckled.
"I suppose it is. I have never found liking in the ways of the royals, so I had my home built like most others around these parts." Dorian was leading the way into the courtyard, and Yuuri followed after him.
"How long must I remain here again?" Yuuri asked curiously.
"Still fretting about the boy?" The older man inquired. Yuuri flushed slightly and nodded.
"Only a few days time my king. Then I shall return you to your own home. I only need to make sure that the potion has no side effects before I let you go. I do have more of a luxury with you as you have come willingly. Poor Lord Weller was so badly injured that I could not properly assure myself that it had taken effect. It seems that he was fine though as he lives still today.
I will give you the potion tomorrow. For tonight, eat a dinner which my servants will prepare, and rest so that your body is in full health. Your room is this one." Dorian explained as he opened a large wooden doorway and allowed Yuuri to step inside. It was quaint, but still had just enough style to show that Dorian was indeed a rich man.
After dinner, Yuuri retired to the room and stared out his window in the direction of his own castle. He was already beginning to miss his friends, and even more so, his former fiancé. That night Yuuri dreamed of returning to his castle and being back in the arms of the one person who always was there.
Yuuri imagined the moment that he re-proposed to Wolfram. The boy was standing in a golden aura that made his eyes glow like the fire he controlled. Yuuri dreamed of the smile that would don the boy's face, the embrace that would follow as they both fell back into their rightful places at each other's sides…perhaps a light kiss.
"Your majesty?" A strange voice interrupted his thoughts. Yuuri's eyes flickered for a moment before opening and gazing upon a young woman leaning over his bed. She was dressed in a simple uniform. Yuuri guessed she was a servant sent to wake him.
"Yes?" The double black said sleepily as he sat up and surveyed his surroundings.
"Breakfast is here for you sire, then Lord Dorian wishes to see you in his office." She said with a bright smile, and gestured towards the small table on the other side of the room which held a wonderful smelling breakfast.
"Uh… Thank you. Tell him I'll be there soon then I suppose." Yuuri said with a yawn. The lady curtsied slightly and left him to himself. The young king quickly got up and dressed before wolfing down a bit of breakfast and heading out to meet Dorian.
"Ah, there you are Heika." Dorian said simply as Yuuri made his grand entrance, tripping over the doorframe and flailing his arms to keep his balance. He laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head with embarrassment at his clumsiness.
"Hehe…Good morning. You can call me Yuuri if you want to." Yuuri said to the older man. The king had always preferred not being called by his title. It seemed so overly formal to him.
"Yes, well. Yuuri then. Come here for a moment." Dorian called him over to a small table where several small bottles were displayed before him. They all varied in color, and also in scent. Yuuri wasn't sure exactly what he smelled because they were all so strong and different.
"These potions are all the same, yet are completely different." Dorian explained. Yuuri blinked in confusion. Dorian caught the look on his face and laughed a bit before elaborating.
"They all have the same purpose Yuuri. They all can make a human age at the rate of a demon, but just as each human is completely different, so must the potion also be in order for no ill to come of them. We are not just making you age at a slower rate, we are changing your makeup as a whole. I am not entirely sure if any of these will work for you, so this unfortunately is trial based for now." Yuuri nodded a bit, but was still a bit lost.
"So…I have to drink all of them?" He ventured. Dorian shrugged.
"I've no clue. We will try to see which is most likely to do the job, and work from there if anything were to turn out badly." Yuuri wasn't sure he liked the sound of this anymore.
"Badly?" The double black prompted. Dorian nodded.
"Yes. It took many a potion to figure out how to change Lord Weller, so many that I fear I left him in quite a terrible condition when I returned him home still unconscious. The poor man was near dead when I found him, and after I finally found the correct potion he was even worse off.
It took me quite a while to find the healer on duty, and I scared the wits out of your former fiancé too that night I fear." Dorian explained. Yuuri nodded. Some things were falling into place now. Wolfram was so upset that Yuuri was leaving with Dorian because he had seen Conrad in such a terrible state those many years ago and knew it was Dorian who had caused it.
"That is why I had to accompany you isn't it? You didn't want anyone to see me if it got to that point." Yuuri said sadly.
"Yes. Though more it was a fear for my own life. Had your blond consort saw me torturing you he may have burned me to ashes." Dorian said with a smile, picking up a red vial and holding it out to the double black. Yuuri nodded again. Wolfram never could stand watching Yuuri in pain for any length of time. That was more endearing than annoying though in Yuuri's point of view.
"Okay…so, here goes…" Yuuri said, mustering up all of his courage, and taking the beaker that Dorian handed to him and downing it in one gulp. His eyes widened, and he fell to the floor suddenly as pain shook him to the core. Dorian leaned down next to the young king, placed a hand on his shoulder, and waited.
Catching up to where I left off. I am excited to try finishing up this story after so long. Reviews?
