Disclaimer: I do not own Kyo Kara Maoh.
Pairings: Yuuri x Wolfram
Warnings: Mpreg, shounan ai
Our Once Upon a Time
By V. Shalyr
14. Everyday Adventures
Busy didn't even begin to cover what life felt like in the following weeks. Yuuri thought hectic was really a more suitable word—exciting, chaotic, stressful.
Wolfram seemed torn between staying off his feet for the baby's sake and his extreme dislike of being stuck in bed with nothing to occupy him. Sure, he liked being lazy on occasion, but not when it wasn't a choice. He could only read books for so long. And his restless irritation would build until something—usually the book he was reading—accidentally burst into flames, and then he'd feel guilty about the destroyed property even after whichever Maryoku user was with him put out the fire. Books simply didn't take well to spontaneous combustion and then being drenched no matter how briefly. On top of that, the fact that Wolfram was a very powerful fire wielder was backfiring on them since Yuuri was the only one who could deal efficiently with the more extreme bouts of Maryoku instability. After one incident where Wolfram all but obliterated their bedroom and Yuuri had had to sprint all the way from his throne room halfway across the castle to douse the sudden inferno before it could affect the rest of the building, the blonde was relocated to a room next to the Maoh's study. Wolfram would have preferred to just stay in the study itself, but being the Maoh, Yuuri had a lot of very important paperwork that they couldn't exactly risk going up in smoke.
That particular afternoon found Yuuri sitting behind his desk staring unseeing at the report before him. He just knew his angel was frustrated and upset and it was making it hard for him to concentrate. It seemed so unfair somehow that he couldn't get away from his work long enough to spend time with him at a time like this. Sometimes, being the king was just so troublesome.
At least Wolfram hadn't thrown up that morning, though Gisela said a little bit of morning sickness was actually a healthy sign.
Yuuri was startled from his thoughts by a rustle of paper and he blinked at the now unoccupied tabletop in his line of sight. He could have sworn he'd been looking at a report on one of their more hostile neighbors just a moment ago. Then someone cleared his throat and the double black looked up to find Gwendal von Voltaire's stoic visage.
"Go to him," the older demon said gruffly, retrieving one of the overly impressive stacks of paperwork and heading for his own office. "I'll take care of the rest of these reports."
Yuuri stared after the man's retreating back in surprise for a long moment then grinned and bolted for the door. He would have to thank Gwendal later. He knew the other Mazoku would come around eventually. However he might appear or act, the man really was very soft-hearted deep down, especially where his baby brother was concerned.
Wolfram tensed and looked up from the window where he was sitting when someone opened the door only to relax when he recognized Yuuri. The scowl on his face immediately turned into a pout.
"I'm bored."
"Then let's go somewhere," Yuuri replied, grabbing the coat Wolfram had left by the door and draping it over his angel's shoulders.
Wolfram paused in surprise. He'd really just felt like complaining. He hadn't actually expected anything to come of it. "But aren't you supposed to be working?"
Much as he wanted to go, he'd always been extremely conscientious of their duties, Yuuri's in particular. It had been impressed upon him ever since he was a child that being the Maoh was a very important and full-time job.
"Your brother said he'd handle the rest for today so we can have the afternoon to ourselves."
"Conrad?" Wolfram asked dubiously. Sure, his Little Big Brother was a great soldier, but paperwork really wasn't his thing either. As far as Wolfram knew, he liked doing paperwork about as much as Wolfram did except that he complained a lot less.
Perhaps reading his mind, Yuuri chuckled. "No. Gwendal."
Wolfram's eyebrows shot up in surprise before a hesitant smile crept onto his face. He supposed that meant that his eldest brother wasn't upset anymore. Getting to his feet without any more protests, the blonde finished putting on his coat and let Yuuri usher him from the room. They stopped by the kitchens to pick up Greta who had been watching a few of the maids throwing together ingredients for a cake. The girl's face lit up in delight when she saw them. Wolfram would have spent more time with her except it hadn't been deemed all that safe. Greta had been disappointed when this had been explained to her but she accepted it without much fuss. She was growing up to be a very bright and understanding girl, and she tried her best not to add to her foster parents' stress. That wasn't to say she wasn't just as excited as almost everyone else over the prospect of younger siblings, and when she could, she and Wolfram would brainstorm names and wonder together what the baby would look like. Likely due to Wolfram's influence, Greta had taken to drawing a great deal in her free time and had produced several sketches after these conversations. Wolfram had framed one of these and put it in their room, and Yuuri was just relieved to see that it really was quite good and he wouldn't have to find some nice and subtle way to persuade Wolfram to move it. Artwork could be such a touchy subject where his angel was concerned and everyone in the family had learned caution.
"Where are we going?" Greta asked, peering up at her two guardians.
"Ah, I'm not sure." Yuuri considered this as the three of them made their way out into the castle courtyard. He hadn't actually thought about it until that point.
Wolfram snorted. "Typical."
"Hey! I was excited," Yuuri defended himself. "Let's see. How about we go look at decorations? We still have to design the new nursery. I told Lady Celi that we wanted to do it."
Greta's nursery had been converted into her bedroom as she'd grown older.
"Works for me," Wolfram agreed. "Anywhere as long as it's not here."
"Yes!" Greta cheered, grabbing each of their hands. "Let's go see! Auntie Jennifer and I saw a store last time we went out to lunch that's the perfect place. It's full of decorations."
Yuuri held back for a moment, eyeing his angel with concern. "Do you want to take a carriage? Gisela did say you should stay off your feet as much as possible."
Wolfram folded his arms rather crossly. "I just got out of one room. I'm not exchanging it for another room on wheels."
Yuuri frowned. Still, he supposed he could understand his angel's reluctance. All the same, "Fine, but you'll tell me if you get tired."
It was more of a demand than a question, and Wolfram nodded if a little reluctantly. Anything except having to go back indoors. And really, he wanted everything to go well just as much as Yuuri did.
The people of the city greeted them warmly as they passed and they returned their greetings with equal fervor. It was definitely good to be outside again, and not just in the castle gardens. Back when Wolfram and Yuuri had just met as children, the blonde hadn't really spent any time with what the aristocrats tended to refer to as "the common people" and consequently hadn't liked them much. Caring about people beyond the immediate circle of his life had been something Wolfram had had to learn, and it hadn't exactly been an easy lesson. Luckily, Yuuri had been the perfect teacher. The fact was that the double black sincerely cared about people. It was just one of the qualities that Wolfram had come to admire, and he often wondered if it was one of the reasons that Yuuri had been chosen as the Maoh. The world was long overdue for a ruler with that much heart and the stubborn determination to go with it.
"It's this place," Greta announced, raising her chin proudly as she halted in front of a giant building, its glass windows revealing shelves of toys, example cribs, and various other furnishings in all kinds of colors and materials.
"Wow, Greta, this really is the perfect place," Yuuri praised her, ruffling the girl's hair affectionately. "Shall we go inside?"
The shopkeeper hurried to meet them as the glass door swung shut behind them, but Yuuri waved her away with a polite reassurance that they'd call on her if they had any questions.
"I was thinking we should start with a color," Yuuri said as the woman nodded and returned to the counter to give them some privacy.
"Green," Wolfram announced immediately, earning him curious looks from both of his companions.
Yuuri raised an eyebrow. He'd been expecting Wolfram to go with blue or even black. His questions were answered when his angel made a beeline for a rack of different fabrics and pulled one free, turning and holding it up for Yuuri to see.
"Yes, green. Because I like this one."
The fabric—probably meant to be a curtain—shone a deep forest green in the sunlight falling through the front windows, patterned with the shadowy silhouette of numerous dragons. The same elegant, winged creatures were embroidered in gold along the hem and Yuuri was reminded of the hatching they had witnessed what felt like such a long time ago.
Running his fingers across the cloth to check its quality, the Maoh grinned. "All right then. Green it is."
.
Gwendal stared down at the report in front of him, the wrinkles in his brow deepening.
"You asked for me?"
Finally tearing his gaze from the paper, the earth Mazoku looked up from his desk at Conrad who had just shut his office door behind him. Picking said paper up, he held it so that his brother could see the title. "Did you know about this?"
Taking the report from him, Conrad skimmed over the contents. "Yozak just informed me of it, yes. Though it's really still just a rumor."
"A troubling rumor nonetheless," Gwendal muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose, "and potentially hazardous if proven true. I assume people have already been assigned to investigate? Good. Increase castle security right away."
"His Majesty and Wolfram?"
"I believe they went to the city. Perhaps I shouldn't have let them go."
"They can take care of themselves," Conrad assured him. "And I can ask Yozak to keep an eye on them. I think some time together will do them both some good."
"I suppose so." Glancing over the report one last time, Gwendal sighed and tucked it away in a drawer of his desk reserved for more important documents.
"Does his Majesty know?"
"I don't believe so. He hasn't seen the report yet. And I'm not sure we should worry him with it. It could prove to be nothing after all …And the both of them have been under so much stress already lately."
Conrad nodded in understanding, hiding a smile. He knew Gwendal would find a way to get over his initial distress at the whole situation. It was definitely a huge point in Yuuri's favor that the last few years of his reign had proved him a more than capable ruler, earning him Gwendal's grudging respect if nothing else. The double black may have seemed too easygoing on first impressions, but they'd quickly learned that he could be aggressive and manipulative when he needed to be. Conrad rather suspected the Maoh had developed that kind of assertiveness through dealing with their baby brother and his tantrums while they were children. It was, after all, largely Yuuri's doing that Wolfram was no longer the somewhat spoiled brat he'd been when they were younger. Those who didn't know the blonde would probably never believe it, but he had mellowed out a great deal over the years. Yuuri's influence calmed him down whereas he brought out Yuuri's emotions and confidence. The double black had always been idealistic and somehow, Wolfram's presence-or perhaps Wolfram's faith in him—made him fight for those ideals all the harder. They really were a perfect match.
Perhaps it was true that people never met by chance.
Besides, Conrad secretly believed that the earth user liked the idea of having a niece or nephew. More people he could knit his arguably cute and most definitely misshapen animals for. He really did spoil children in the weirdest of ways.
.
After that first outing, various members of the court took it upon themselves to create more time for the Maoh and his consort to spend time with one another. So maybe taking breaks wasn't really one of the benefits of being king, but there was definitely something to be said for building a reliable and considerate staff. And one of the positive side effects of being thoughtful when dealing with others was that other people also tended to become more thoughtful when dealing with you in return. Yuuri rather thought it just went to prove his point that he found himself more capable of leaving work early these days.
"Wolfram, what are you doing?"
The blonde didn't answer from where he stood in front of the full length mirror beside the door that led to their walk-in closet. He'd pulled his shirt up and seemed to be examining his stomach with great intensity. Puzzled, Yuuri stepped closer, trying to figure out what his angel was looking at. When it finally hit him, he grinned.
Moving up behind the fire user, he wrapped his arms around Wolfram from behind, smoothing one hand across the exposed stomach, his own sun-tanned skin contrasting with his angel's flawlessly pale complexion. He dipped his head to murmur in the blonde's ear before nibbling on it. "You know it's still a bit early."
Wolfram shivered a little at the warm touch. He leaned into Yuuri's embrace and finally averted his gaze from his reflection, letting his eyelids slide shut in pleasure at the double black's caresses. He had to admit that there wasn't much point in his continued scrutiny anyway. You couldn't really see any visible differences yet. Gisela had come to check on him that morning and had told them that it would be at least another week before Wolfram began to show—twins or no twins—but still, that didn't mean he stopped looking. Could anyone really blame him for being curious?
"I was just making sure," he mumbled, tilting his head obediently to the side so Yuuri could move from his ear down the line of his neck.
"Join me for a bath?" the double black asked, murmuring the words against his skin, rather reluctant to pull away.
Wolfram chuckled at the slightly ticklish sensation. "You just want an excuse to touch me."
"I'm your husband and your king. I don't need an excuse."
"No, I suppose not." Turning around in Yuuri's arms, Wolfram wrapped his arms around his neck and gave him his best imploring look. "Carry me?"
Yuuri raised an eyebrow but complied, scooping the petite blonde into his arms bridal style before heading for the door to their private bath. He knew his angel liked being spoiled and really, Yuuri enjoyed spoiling him now and then, but it was probably better not to tell him that.
In all honesty, they had been bathing together since they were children but the situation had obviously changed a lot since then. It had been quite normal when they were little, a way for their parents to make sure they could entertain themselves and would take their baths without too much fuss. Lady Jennifer had even managed to find shampoo that produced multicolored bubbles on one of her spontaneous shopping trips, just the kind of thing to keep children amused. Then there had been their early Academy years where bathing together had been something they took for granted and everyone else thought was strange. It was time that they got to spend together, nothing particularly special but something they nonetheless enjoyed. Later years at the Academy had seen some marked changes, though mostly, those changes had resulted in them taking their baths separately for awhile. They already slept in the same bed. No reason to tempt Fate, right?
Now… Now that they were married, bathing had become something a lot more sensual—at least when they were in there together. It was a time when they could relax and just enjoy one another's company without their respective duties and other things getting in the way. It was a little ironic really, but it was one of the only times during the day that couldn't be interrupted unless it was for a very major emergency. It was just such an easy place for more intimate moments to begin with the warm water so comfortable and the private pool all to themselves.
It was even easier when his responsibilities and Wolfram's sometimes inopportune attacks of nausea had prevented Yuuri from touching him for the past… Well, more weeks than Yuuri cared to recount.
Wolfram opened his eyes to give Yuuri a half anticipatory, half anxious look as the double black settled himself between his legs with a hungry and rather determined expression on his face.
"Are you sure this is okay?"
Yuuri hummed an affirmative, leaning forward to silence him with a kiss. He'd asked Gisela about it earlier to be sure. He'd finished work early and Wolfram was feeling well, and Yuuri wouldn't be much of a king if he hadn't learned to take full advantage of a situation. Fussing over the future was all well and good, but sometimes, you needed to just take some time out for yourselves in the present.
.
"Yuuri."
The double black mumbled something incoherent in his sleep, tightening his arms around the blonde in his arms. Wolfram frowned and freed one hand so he could shake his king by the shoulder.
"Yuuri," he hissed again, this time more insistently.
The Maoh jerked awake with a start, looking around in confusion for what had awoken him before focusing on the emerald eyes peering up at him. "Huh? Is something wrong?"
Satisfied that he had his full attention, Wolfram continued. "I'm hungry, and I want oranges."
Yuuri blinked, his sleep-hazed mind not quite comprehending the words he was hearing. "But you hate oranges."
Wolfram had held a bit of a grudge against the otherwise innocuous fruits ever since he'd gotten the acidic juice in his eyes once when they were little. He was good at holding small grudges like that.
His angel just pouted. "Well, I changed my mind."
The pout usually worked and Yuuri sighed, slipping out of their bed with a stifled yawn. "Okay then. Stay here and keep warm. I'll be back in a minute."
Trudging through the deserted hallways to the kitchen, Yuuri poked around until he found the oranges in a basket beside woven containers overflowing with other fruits and vegetables. He stared at the basket for a moment, unsure how many to bring back upstairs. Finally deciding that too many was better than too few, he picked up the entire basket and returned to the royal suite.
Wolfram hummed happily as the basket was set on a chair Yuuri dragged up beside the bed and began peeling one as Yuuri moved back around to the other side and slid back under the covers. Secure in the knowledge that there was no way Wolfram could possibly run out of oranges anytime soon, he closed his eyes and went back to sleep.
When he woke up the following morning, Wolfram was still asleep, snuggled contentedly against his side. Yuuri stared at the basket now full of nothing but orange peels in shock. Had Wolfram really eaten all of them?
Shaking his head, Yuuri leaned over to brush a quick, chaste kiss across his angel's lips before slipping out of bed and making a beeline for their closet. When he was properly dressed for the day, he retrieved the basket and went in search of a servant to take it back down to the kitchens for him.
He had a meeting to get to in the throne room.
His guest was already waiting for him when he entered the rather grand chamber that housed the royal throne on its raised dais. She stood on the path of crimson carpet with her back to the doors, looking up at the painted images that sprawled across the vaulted ceiling. She had let her hair grow, Yuuri noted absently, her way perhaps of showing that things in her kingdom had finally begun to settle down—finally gotten back on track. The chocolate tresses now fell almost all the way to her waist and it swung freely as she turned towards him, startled out of her thoughts by his rather pointed cough.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm always amazed by the art around this place."
Of course, she knew by now that what she'd grown up hearing about demons was, for the most part, far from the truth. But it still took her breath away to see that they had created such beautiful things. Human or demon, there really wasn't that much difference between the two in the end except for maybe the perspectives they took on life due to their respective heritages. But then the same could be said amongst different humans—amongst all people really.
"Don't mention it." Yuuri waved a hand dismissively and smiled. "You're looking well."
"You too," Rakell replied with a smile of her own. It was a relaxed and easy smile, so different from the grimmer and more defiant look she'd worn when they'd first met. Time couldn't completely heal everything, but a lot of things needed time to mend.
"Humans change so quickly," Yuuri mused, more to himself than to Rakell, but she answered anyway, her own expression rueful.
"And you Mazoku age so slowly. Every time I see you and Wolfram, it's like no time has passed at all."
"I suppose it can seem that way."
Both monarchs fell silent for a moment, waiting for the last member of this meeting to arrive. Five minutes later, she did so with a rustle of fabric and a delighted cry of, "Big sister!"
Rakell crouched down to catch the girl in her arms, returning her hug with equal enthusiasm. "Greta, it's good to see you again. How you've grown! I trust you've been keeping up with your studies?"
Brown eyes widened. Wolfram had impressed upon her early the importance of taking her studies and responsibilities seriously. "Of course I have! Yuuri can tell you."
"And she's been doing great," Yuuri agreed. "We've been impressed, especially with how helpful she's been with everything else going on at the same time."
Noticing the slight confusion on her older sister's face, Greta leaned up to whisper excitedly in her ear, "Wolfram is pregnant."
Rakell opened her mouth then shut it again without saying anything. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to respond to this. Finally, she managed a weak, "Really?"
Greta nodded and beamed. "I've been helping with decorations for the new nursery. Wolfram wanted a green theme and we got all these wonderful decorations with dragon patterns. Uncle Gwendal's knitting a dragon for the baby too, at least I think it's supposed to be a dragon." For a moment, she looked uncertain and glanced around as though to make sure no one was listening, "It looks more like a green chicken, but don't tell him that. We don't want to hurt his feelings."
Rakell stifled a giggle. Yes, she'd seen some of those animals Gwendal knitted as a sort of hobby in his spare time. Still, this was not exactly what she'd been expecting when she'd arrived to pick up her sister for their long anticipated visit back to Rawsha. It would be the first time Greta set foot back in her kingdom since she'd been a baby. They'd all thought it high time with the kingdom finally at peace for its younger princess to see the country that she may one day be in charge of. They had been planning this visit for months. Right now, Shin Makoku may be Greta's home, but Rawsha would be her responsibility.
Rakell caught the Maoh's eye over the top of her sister's head and mouthed silently, "Is she serious?"
The double black seemed amused by the question and nodded.
Rakell considered this answer for a moment then shrugged and grinned. So maybe demons were a little more different than she'd thought. She couldn't wait to see what kind of children her two friends would have. She'd have to come back in a couple months to find out.
.
One of the distinct advantages of being king was that whatever snack Wolfram suddenly decided he wanted, it was more or less a simple matter for Yuuri to producer it. Fruits and vegetables of all kinds arrived at the castle by the cartload and it was easy enough to get something added or taken off the list. Servants or soldiers could be sent into the market for the odd sweet or strangely named delicacy that one or another shop proclaimed as its specialty. And Jennifer was more than happy to cook anything her Wolfie asked for at any time, even if it was her younger son looking extremely apologetic at half past midnight asking her for curry on his beloved's behalf.
So no, food generally wasn't a problem. Unless it was something like this.
"French fries. I want French fries."
It took Yuuri a moment to remember what these were. They had only eaten the things once or twice during their short stay on Earth. On Earth… Damn, well that certainly made things a touch more complicated. During their stay in the other world, they'd learned that many of the foods in both worlds tasted much the same. But their appearances and names were another matter. Names in particular seemed to exist for the sole purpose of confusing them. For instance, "potato" in Shin Makoku and "potato" on Earth didn't have to—and probably wouldn't—refer to the same root.
"So what exactly are these French fries?" the cook asked, more than a bit baffled by the royal consort's latest demand.
"Well," Yuuri started, not sure how to describe them, "I guess they're basically strips of fried potatoes—er, roots. Uh," he glanced around and picked out a slightly gnarled root from the piles of supplies, "something like this, I think."
Only then the cook cut it open and it was purple inside and Yuuri wasn't so sure anymore. He was sure he'd had chunks of the stuff before in his mother's curry, but he'd honestly never bothered to learn anything about cooking and Jennifer had gone shopping early that morning. Knowing his mother, she'd be impossible to find and wouldn't be back until nightfall. She didn't go shopping all that often these days, but when she did, practically no one could keep up with her—except maybe for Wolfram seeing as how often he'd accompanied her in the past.
In any case, it seemed that the only way they'd know for sure if this was the right counterpart to the same Earth food would be to test it…
And test it, and test it, and test it.
Unfortunately, Yuuri was the only one in the castle aside from Wolfram himself who knew what a French fry was supposed to taste like. By the time the cook finally did come up with a decent batch of fries, Yuuri never wanted to see another "French fry" again. He was seriously going to ban the kitchens from serving roots as part of the meal menu for the next month!
All in all, it really was amazing how much of an adventure just living everyday life could be. But it was definitely the good kind of adventure, the kind everyone could have and enjoy whether or not they were royalty.
Of course, unfortunately, there were also the less pleasant adventures that did come with being "important", at least in the eyes of the world at large. Those adventures, if they could even be called that, were definitely ones that Yuuri could do without.
.
Yuuri lay awake listening to the drumming of the raindrops upon the roof. He wondered if it was the arrival of the storm that had awoken him. It was possible and had happened before. He could sense the power of the raging winds and the lightning that lit the sheets of icy water sleeting down around the castle. It hummed in his blood and made him restless.
Beside him, Wolfram shivered and curled further against Yuuri's chest in his sleep. One of the blonde's slim hands rested protectively over his stomach, the pale fingers laced with his king's bronze ones. Wolfram tired more quickly these days but even in sleep, he never forgot about the precious life—or lives—he now carried. On another day, the image would have made Yuuri smile, but tonight, something in the air just felt wrong.
The storm was angry.
Dark eyes narrowed as the Maoh sat up, careful not to disturb his consort. Yes, that was it. The storm felt angry, and the echoes of it put him on edge. Letting out a slow breath, the double black focused on the unease stirring in the back of his mind. He picked through the feeling, trying to track it back to its source. Whatever it was, it had to be close—too close.
Yuuri was moving a split second before the window of their bedroom exploded. Shards of broken glass and rainwater sprayed across the plush carpet. Yuuri dragged Wolfram out of their bed covers and all, snatching up the blonde's sword and shoving the entire lot behind him. He didn't bother going for his own sword, summoning his Maryoku instead and throwing it around the both of them like a shield. The knife that cut through the air where they had been didn't reflect the light and Yuuri sensed more than saw it, and the answering fury from inside him was almost overwhelming. Outside, the roar of the storm rose further.
"Wha—Yuuri?" Wolfram yelped, jerked awake by the sudden noise and abrupt movement. Instinctively, his hand closed around the hilt of his sword and he wrapped his free arm around his stomach as he struggled to disentangle himself from the blankets and get to his feet.
Yuuri didn't answer him. Through the fiery blue wall of his magic, he spotted the dark shape crouched on the other side of the room right away.
"How dare you," the Maoh hissed, and the cold blue light reflected in his slitted eyes made him look just as demonic as many humans probably thought he was, people who had yet to meet him or hear of the good that he had done.
Emerald eyes widened as Wolfram's weary mind finally registered what exactly had happened and his grip tightened on his sword. Someone had just tried to kill them—kill him? Yuuri? It was hard to say for sure and it really didn't matter one way or the other. The realization brought a wave of fear welling up inside him—not for himself but for his unborn child. He couldn't afford to get pulled into a serious fight. The risks were far, far too high, especially when he was unable to control his own Maryoku. Gisela had warned him not to strain himself and if battle wasn't a strain, he didn't know what was.
As if sensing his panic, Yuuri took a step forward, placing himself more squarely between their assailant and Wolfram.
"Demons," the stranger snarled, another blade already in his hand, the eyes that they could see wild with terror and hate. "You'll doom us all with your deceptions if you're allowed to live."
"And who are you to decide who is allowed and not allowed to live?" Yuuri demanded, his voice like ice.
Instead of answering, the man lunged and Yuuri struck.
When the guards burst into the room, no doubt alerted by the ruckus, the would-be assassin lay in a crumpled heap against the far wall, apparently having hit said wall with great force. He was still alive but it would be awhile before he came back to consciousness, and when he did, he was most likely in for one hell of a concussion. Giving instructions for the assassin to be seen to until someone could question him, Yuuri guided Wolfram through the doors into the sitting room and to one of the couches.
"Are you okay?"
Wolfram nodded at his gentle question, wrapping both his arms around his stomach and mustering the energy to glare back in the direction they had come. "What was that about?"
"I intend to find out," Yuuri said grimly. And he had the feeling it was going to be very soon as Conrad, Gwendal, and Shori came bursting into the room. What made Yuuri frown was that none of them looked surprised after getting a look at the man still unconscious on the floor in the other room. Folding his arms across his chest, the Maoh raised his eyebrows, his dark gaze moving from one to another as they assembled back in the sitting room. "Well?"
Conrad coughed. "Sorry about that, your Majesty. We thought we'd gotten them all."
"Gotten them all?" Yuuri repeated. "Them who?"
His older brother exchanged a look with Wolfram's older brothers and Yuuri felt his usually boundless patience rapidly running out. Someone had just tried to kill him and his consort—his pregnant consort. For once, he was really not in a very patient or forgiving mood.
And his mood only got worse when Shori cleared his throat and carefully explained to him that there had been rumors of an organization from certain human kingdoms plotting to get rid of the Maoh and his family. Yozak had managed to gather enough hard evidence and information, and Conrad had led an offensive against said group the week before. And they had thought the entire matter taken care of.
For a long time after Shori had finished his explanation, no one said anything.
And then Yuuri finally demanded, "Why was I not informed of this?"
Everyone in the room shifted uneasily at the tone of the Maoh's voice. Yuuri very rarely got angry. So when he did, it was more than a little unnerving. Even Gwendal looked a bit disturbed. The guards who had come running in earlier quickly and quietly excused themselves, taking the new prisoner with them. Yuuri didn't speak again until the door had shut behind them.
"Never mind, I can guess why you did it. But did you seriously believe that we'd be happier not knowing? Hell, did you honestly think that we would be safer—that you'd be protecting us—if you kept us in the dark? We might have been a bit stressed out with…other things, but even so, that's ridiculous. I understand that we're both young, but we're still the ones who are supposed to be running this kingdom."
Yuuri paused, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly in an attempt to calm down.
"My apologies," Gwendal said in the ensuing stillness. "It was my decision to keep it quiet. It won't happen again."
Yuuri nodded curtly. "See that it doesn't."
"So then, our next course of action?" Conrad asked. "I would recommend that your Majesty and Wolfram move elsewhere for the time being. It seems we have some cleaning up to do. The organization appears to have been more resourceful than we thought."
The entire room went silent again. Everyone looked at Yuuri. As the Maoh, whatever happened next would be his decision.
Wolfram shifted anxiously in his seat. Yuuri's head was lowered, the shadow of his bangs obscuring his face and making it hard to read his expression. Finally, the double black straightened, and there was a steely look in his dark eyes that said he wouldn't stand for any arguments.
"We're going to Earth."
TBC…
AN: Sorry if this chapter felt choppy (it kind of does to me anyway), but I was having the hardest time making all the scraps I had for it flow together. Hopefully, it was enjoyable to read regardless.
I can't resist bringing them back to Earth:) The whole demons on Earth setting just really amuses me.
.