Disclaimer: I do not own Hana to Akuma or any of the characters therein.
OKAY so I decided to put it up.
Chapter 25: Punishment
Gilbert never felt so wretched in his life! When he saw the expression in Tsubaki's eyes, as he told her those malicious things, he thought that whatever little bit of a soul he had left died with the light in her eyes. That light which always attracted his eyes to hers. She is always so full of life. Always smiling and loving. What have I done? He clutched his chest as his heart began to ache so very badly. He smiled ruefully. It seemed that Lucifer's butler had grown a heart after all. What would the Demon World say of that? He tried to clamp down on his emotions, telling himself that this needed to be done. This was best for everyone involved. Tsubaki would recover. After all, if she did have feelings for him it was nothing more than a crush, right? She would find someone else, someone who was not cursed to be a monster...
With great haste he went to his room. He was not in the mood to see anyone or to do anything. He wanted to be left in solitude until he was given passage back to Earth. Since there was no way to open a portal from Avalon to the Demon World he had to get back to Earth. He entered his room and pulled all the draperies shut. He could not even stand the morning light. He wanted his room to be as dark and as black as he now felt.
Ayame was looking for Tsubaki. She had knocked on the door to the Queen's bedroom but there was no answer. She went to the throne room but there was no one. She asked every handmaiden she crossed paths with, but no one had seen the Queen. She wondered where Tsubaki was. Gilbert had disappeared a few minutes after she met him. Ayame had purposefully put her hand out for the demon to take it. When his hand touched hers she immediately began to read his body patterns. An odious feeling filled her being, something dark and vile. She had felt something similar before, and she needed to tell Tsubaki about it.
She had searched everywhere and then a thought struck her. Maybe Gilbert had gone to see Tsubaki. She decided to go to his room and see if the witch was there. She knocked on Gilbert's door, but there was no reply. She knocked again and then said, "Gilbert-dono, is Tsubaki-sama there? I must speak to her."
For a few seconds there was no response and then she heard someone shift inside. The door opened and Gilbert stood in the doorway. He looked grim like something bad happened. "Tsubaki is not here. She is in her bedroom."
Ayame wanted to ask him about his expression, but decided not to. So she thanked him for the information and went back to Tsubaki's room. She knocked, but there was no answer. What is going on here? She asked herself. She knocked again but when there was still no answer she called out for Tsubaki. Again she was met with silence. She then thought about watching outside to see what the weather was like. Going to the end of the corridor she drew the diaphanous drapery and peered outside. The sky was black and a great storm was brewing. Already lightning was flashing and thunder could he heard in the distance. "This is not good." She whispered to herself. Tsubaki was so powerful that whenever her emotions were strong she affected the weather. When she was happy, days were filled with bright sunshine and light spring showers but when she was angry or sad, the weather turned tempestuous and terrible. Recalling Gilbert's expression Ayame knew then that something had happened between him and Tsubaki.
Returning to the Queen's private room she opened the door and entered. There sitting in a corner with her head bent into her knees was Tsubaki weeping softly. Bending down Ayame touched her head and gently asked, "What has that demon done to you this time?"
It took Tsubaki several minutes before she could answer but when she did she told Ayame everything that Gilbert said to her. Ayame could not believe it. It was an imposter. Gilbert was not capable of doing this... Not to Tsubaki... No one was that wicked, right? There must have been a reason. No matter how much Tsubaki had teased him she did not deserve this.
"Tsubaki there must be a reason for this turn in behaviour." Ayame offered.
"Yes, there is a reason. He despises me." Tsubaki said in between sobs.
"Listen to me carefully. There is something wrong with him."
"Yes, there is!" Tsubaki interrupted. "He is a beast like he said!" she began to cry again.
"Tsubaki, hush for a moment and listen to me." Ayame's voice was gentle but adamant. "When I touched his hand I was filled with a great darkness. I felt like I was being poisoned. Tsubaki... I think that he has been cursed."
Tsubaki sniffed loudly and then asked, "Cursed?"
"Yes, cursed. Someone has put some sort of curse on him. It may be the reason he must spend his nights alone. Something lies within his body. He is afflicted, diseased with something. I am not sure what, but he is not healthy, Tsubaki. On the outside he looks fine but I suspect that on the inside some disease is eating him alive."
"What... Can this be cured? Can the curse be reversed?" Tsubaki momentarily forgot her broken feelings in her concern for Gilbert.
"I am not even sure what sort of curse it is. We will have to find out."
"But how can we? I don't know what happens at night."
"Then find out!" Ayame exclaimed. "Only then would there be any hope of treating it."
"Do you think this is why he was so cruel to me? Do you think that he does not want me to be interested in him?" The Queen asked. Her voice was filled with hope.
Ayame did not want Tsubaki to be too optimistic too early. She was in love with Gilbert, but if he was the beast he made himself out to be then the earlier Tsubaki faced that, the better. "That I am not sure of. It is a possibility, but Tsubaki I just don 't know."
"Then why tell me anything at all? If he had a mission and it failed, why tell me about it? It is as if he wants me to hate him!"
Ayame thought on this for a minute and then said, "Yes, I agree with you. You may be right. He may want to spear you more heartache later. It is better to destroy your fondness for him early on before your feelings for him deepen. Tsubaki, maybe he is dying and does not want any one mourning for him." Then she added, "Tsubaki you have to find out. All this conjecture is not getting us anywhere and it may be producing false hope."
Tsubaki nodded. "But how...?"
"I have a plan. But first you get dressed and then listen to what I have thought of..." Ayame said.
Vivi had a clear view to the outside from his room and when he realized that a storm was approaching he decided to go to Hana's room. Sure enough there she was, curled up in a ball, in the bed with the covers over her head. "Why didn't you come to my room?" he asked her as he sat down next to the big lump on the bed.
Uncovering her head she quickly wrapped her arms around him and said, "I wanted to stay by myself. I am growing up in other ways so I thought that I should wait out the storm alone."
"But you are shivering so badly." He said and he caressed her shoulders before hugging her back.
"Yes, I am still afraid. I guess I am still a silly little girl." She said in a dejected voice.
He lifted her chin and brought his lips down to meet hers, giving her a demanding kiss that left her breathless. Her fear forgotten, she clung to him and kissed him back ardently.
When he parted their lips he said, "My little flower, if you are not afraid of storms I won't have an excuse to come to your room and comfort you with my hands and lips." He smiled naughtily at her and her heart jerked in her chest.
"But you don't need an excuse to touch me and kiss me, Vivi. Did I not say that I am yours and no one else's?"
His smiled broadened and he asked, "Yes, you did. So then I can do whatever I wish to you?"
Hana swallowed nervously, but there was no way she would even reject him so she said, "Yes, anything you want. I am yours!"
"Then shall I give myself to you as well?" Vivi asked her.
"Vivi... do you mean that?" she was disbelieving.
"Yes...I am yours and yours alone." He kissed her again and Hana's heart soared. He had said that he was in love with her before, but this was a commitment. When he kissed her until her lips were swollen he raised his head and pulling back the bed linens he climbed into bed with her, pulled her close to him and placed his chin on the top of her head. He would hold her until the storm was over.
Eleanor watched out her window. She loved to see the dark clouds and the lightning shows storms created. To her storms were a display of the power and strength of nature and she enjoyed it immensely. She wondered what Velten was doing. She would have liked to watch the storm with him. She got up and went to his quarters, but there was no reply when she knocked on his door. She would have asked Hana or Vivi for his whereabouts, but she knew that the two of them would be together during this weather. So she decided to find Velten on her own. But there were so many rooms... I will simply wait for him in his room, she said to herself.
Opening the door a little she peered inside. There was no one in the outer room. She entered and took a seat on one of the chairs. After a few minutes she heard something fall within the bedroom and then a woman's giggle and then a high pitched, "Please Velten-sama... we shouldn't!" Eleanor immediately grew irate. So he was at it again!
Without preamble she rushed over to the bedroom door and pulled it open. She was greeted with a maid whose back was turned to her. Around the maid's slim waist was a male's arm clad in a white shirt with ruffled sleeves and his other hand had hiked up the woman's dress since it was high up on her thigh. The man's face was obscured since it was buried in the woman's bosom, but Eleanor knew full well who it was. She began to tremble in fury. Anywhere Velten went it was the same thing...
Velten raised his head to see his fuming fiancée and said, "Eleanor it's not what you think..."
She was speechless with rage. When the maid looked around to the demoness and said with a smile, "Velten-sama, it is your fiancée..." Eleanor could not have been more embarrassed. She looked at the maid who was a tall, beautiful blonde specimen with clear blue eyes and she felt so sick that she thought she was going to vomit. Velten always liked the fair haired girls. For the umpteenth time since she was a little girl she felt rejected and so very ugly. Why in the world was she born with black hair and dark brown eyes? If she was born with blonde hair and blue or green eyes, maybe Velten would have noticed her. What she would not have given to look more like the woman Velten now held.
Summoning her mallet, she silently rested it on her right shoulder. She looked at the maid and said with much rancour, "If you don't want to die here, I suggest that you leave." Eleanor watched as the girl's eyes widened in shock and her face paled to death white before she hurriedly exited the room.
"Eleanor try to understand," Velten began, "I was just..."
"Just what, Velten?" She demanded. "You know I was more embarrassed than hurt this time. To think that you would shame me like this in Tsubaki's home. Is it not enough that the whole of the Demon World laughs at me? You must make me a fool in Avalon as well?"
"Eleanor..."
"No! I don't want to hear it! The engagement is off." She stated it so easily that even she was surprised when the words left her lips. She put away her mallet and then continued. "You are free to do as you wish. You can have as many girls as you want without any trouble from me."
"Eleanor, I am sorry. I..."
But Eleanor had made up her mind. "Why do you apologize? Is this not what you wanted? Rejoice! Be happy! You no longer have a fiancée and you no longer have to think about me." Tears began to fall from her eyes but despite them she smiled and said, "After all these years of being engaged to an ugly girl like me, releasing you is the least I could do."
"Please, Eleanor." Velten felt absolutely vile. "You are not ugly. I am the one to blame... I..."
But she had already walked away. She should have run away from the room, but instead she calmly walked out. She was too ashamed to let anyone see her tear filled eyes and so she hung her head low. She knew she could not see Hana, so she went to Tsubaki's room. She knocked and when Tsubaki said come in she took just 2 steps inside. With her head still turned to the ground she said in a calm voice, "Tsubaki I need to return home."
"Eleanor?" Tsubaki was concerned. "What is it? What has happened?"
Without looking up she repeated. "I just need to return home." This time however, her crushed feelings invaded her voice. She could hold it back no longer and she began sobbing uncontrollably. Quickly Tsubaki went over to her and hugged her to her side and led her to a sofa at the far end of the room.
"What is it?" Tsubaki demanded. "Has Velten done something?"
"I caught him with a maid. He was making love to her!" Eleanor chocked out.
Tsubaki went livid. "It is forbidden! No maid can have anything to do with males as long as they are in my service."
"I don't think it was her fault." Eleanor began. "She told him not to..."
"Was he forcing her?" The Queen wanted to know.
Eleanor shook her head. "Actually she looked like she was enjoying it. She just told him that they shouldn't be doing it."
Tsubaki had vowed to teach Velten a lesson the next time he hurt Eleanor and after a day filled with heartache from Gilbert she saw red. Fuming, she wasted no time in going for the door. Her lips were crushed together and her frown was deep above flashing eyes. Outside thunder howled like a beast in pain. "Eleanor, come with me. I will show you how I deal with insolence!"
Ayame knew what was coming and hurrying to Tsubaki's side she tugged on her sleeve. "Tsubaki, please! Slow down and think about this!"
"They are going to pay the price. No one makes a fool out of the Queen of Avalon or any of her friends!"
"This is not the time for this. You have more important things to think about. What about the King Reagent and Gilbert?"
"They can both go to Hell for a night. This must be dealt with!" Tsubaki could not be reasoned with and so Ayame just followed along in the hope that things were not blown out of proportion. Tsubaki went straight to her throne room followed closely by Ayame and Eleanor. She instructed both Eleanor and Ayame to stand a little to the left of her throne. To the right of her there was a plush purple curtain. To one side of the curtain was a thick black rope. She tugged it hard and the curtain was drawn to reveal a large gong next to which was a long, slim mallet was held upright by a silver holding clip.
Taking the mallet in her right hand, Tsubaki pulled back her hand and struck the gong hard. A loud booming crash was produced that had Eleanor's sensitive ears ringing. When all echoes died she then pulled her hand back and struck the gong a second time. Handmaidens were already started to gather and by the time she struck it a third time all maids were accounted for.
"Where are my guests?" she asked the assembly.
The head maid answered, "They are in their rooms, your Majesty."
The Queen's eyes narrowed. "What is to be done when this gong is rung thrice, Malinda?" she addressed the principal maid who had just replied to her.
Malinda saw how angry her Mistress was and so bowing low she answered, "When the gong is rung thrice all must gather in the throne room."
"Have all been gathered?" Tsubaki demanded angrily.
"No, my Lady. I will send for them now." Malinda said hastily.
"It is alright, I will give the command." The sorceress was furious and outside the room thunder boomed, the wind was howling and large raindrops crashed into the windows and unto the roof. Together they made it difficult to think for the sound was so loud. Nevertheless, Tsubaki's voice reached above all the noise and called on the four handmaidens she had assigned to care for her absent guests. "Amanda, Lily, Cecila and Joanna go to the guests you have been appointed to and bring them here. I do not care if you have to scour the entire castle to find them. When you return I will deal with each of you appropriately. Expect to be punished for inefficiency and disobeying my will."
"Yes, my Queen." They replied in unison before they hurriedly went to find their respective guests.
Eleanor looked over at Tsubaki. She had never heard the woman use such a tone before and she was frightened. She thought that she had gotten the maid in trouble and she did not want that. She was about to approached the witch and whisper and apology when Ayame blocked her way and shook her head to tell her not to go near Tsubaki now. Eleanor nodded and resumed her place besides Ayame.
It took only a few minutes for Vivi, Hana and Gilbert to make an appearance, but Velten took several more. This made Tsubaki all the madder with each passing second as she waited for him to enter. She had taken her seat and was drumming her fingers impatiently for his arrival. When he finally arrived, Tsubaki got up and addressed her guests and staff.
"As we all know, the King Reagent is supposed to come here tonight. I have taken you all from your duties because a problem has come to my attention. It seems that there has been a breach in conduct here between one of my guests and one of my handmaidens."
Velten felt his ruffle cravat constrict around his throat. He knew Tsubaki was talking about him and that girl… He could not even remember her name.
The Queen continued, "I am going to allow the guilty parties the opportunity to confess to the offence in the hope that their punishment would be decreased."
"My Lady, Queen Tsubaki!" A beautiful blonde handmaiden flung herself before Tsubaki's feet and began to cry loudly, "I am so very sorry! But one of your guests forced me to undress for him. He grabbed me and touched me inappropriately. His strength was enormous and I could not stop him. But luckily his fiancée came in and she stopped him!" In response to her words a great murmur passed through the crowd and all eyes turned to Velten.
"SILENCE!" Tsubaki shouted furiously. "Who gave you the permission to speak and how dare any of you take your eyes away from your Queen?" she screamed at the crowd. All eyes were immediately fixed on her and all talking ceased. Vivi smiled. He was liking Tsubaki more and more every day. Now here is a Queen!
Velten could not believe any of this. First the lies from the handmaiden and then Tsubaki's angry outbursts... He was about to protest but after Tsubaki's words he thought that he should not. Eleanor too was about to say something when Ayame shushed her and said "Just watch."
"Katherine, please point out this guest to me."
Katherine stood up and pointing at Velten said, "My Queen it was the blonde one. I think his name is Velten."
"Velten, what say you to these accusations?" Tsubaki addressed him.
"It is a lie. She offered herself to me. I am unable to turn a lady down when she is so earnest." He said keeping his eyes on Tsubaki. He could not bring himself to look at Eleanor. Inside Eleanor's heart broke a little more at the words.
Tsubaki asked "Have you no pride, Velten? Would you take a common harlot if she offered herself to you?"
Vivi smiled. What an idiot! Velten had not changed one bit. Hana was looking on with her mouth open and Gilbert observed with interest.
"No! My Lady!" Katherine called out. "He is lying. He forced himself on me!"
None of the demons believed that Velten would force himself on any woman. Did he even need to? He was by the far most popular male in the Demon World. Hana could not believe what was going on. Velten would never try to rape anyone.
Tsubaki proceeded. "Eleanor." She called. "Please come forward and tell me what you saw." Eleanor swallowed nervously but did as her friend asked of her. When the sorceress asked, "Was Katherine struggling against Velten? Did she look like she was being forced?"
Eleanor answered, "No, your Majesty. She seemed to be enjoying it!"
"My Lady!" Katherine protested, "That is..."
Tsubaki turned to her then and roared, "Who gave you permission to speak? I am addressing Eleanor now. Silence until I address you again. Or do you forget your place."
"How dare you speak to me in this way?" Katherine demanded of the Queen. Turning to Eleanor she spitted out vehemently, "You are lying to protect your fiancé. Why do you even bother? He does not love you!"
Those cruel words almost made Eleanor cry in front of the whole assembly. When Tsubaki saw the demoness' expression she became so enraged that her jaw began to twitch and she had trouble stringing two words together. So instead she acted. Towards the back of the throne room was a large pool of water. Elegantly Tsubaki raised her hands and made fluid, unbroken motions in the air like she was drawing a loop with each hand. Instantly, columns of water rose from the pool and created two rope-like tubes of water. They then wrapped themselves around each of Katherine's hands. With a swift arcing motion of her right hand, Tsubaki caused Katherine to be slammed unto the right wall about 2 meters above the ground.
When she recovered from the impact Katherine struggled against the water that bounded her, but it was no use. They looked like water, but felt like steel. "How dare you? Do you forget who I am?" she asked the Queen.
"I am the daughter of the King Reagent, you can't treat me like this!" Katherine screamed.
Tsubaki had enough of the brat and so summoning a little more water she covered the woman's mouth so that she could no longer speak. She then said, "I trust that you remember who appointed your father to be King Reagent. I am Nimue, the sole ruler of all of Avalon. Pray that I do not take your life, Katherine." She threatened.
Taking a deep breath she turned back to the crowd and to pronounce sentence. "Misconduct with a male is heavily frowned upon. My handmaids are maidens when they come to me and they are maidens when they leave. I will not tolerate any deviation from this rule. Like all of you your Queen, although she has lived for many hundreds of years, is also a virgin and will remain so until she is wedded."
Gilbert's pointed ears twitched at that announcement. So Tsubaki was teasing him honestly? She was really interested in him? A virgin would not have been so forward with her teasing if she was not really interested... He had made a grave mistake and he felt so low that he wished he could just sink into the ground and disappear. He had hurt her so badly and he was wrong. He was so very wrong. No wonder she wrapped herself in a blanket when he saw her half naked...
"Maidenhood is to be cherished and should only be given to a man who can love you for the rest of your life. I know that being in my service is difficult, but the humility and restraint that you learn when you are here for 12 months or more will serve you until the day you die. Today grave injustices occurred. Not only did Katherine disobey my law which has been in existence for more than 10 centuries, she has also betrayed a fellow woman. The man she offered herself too, as you all know, has a fiancée. What sort of woman tries to tarnish the promise of marriage? Her sentence is as follows: 200 lashes and 365 days of labour at the state's cattle farm. She will perform all the duties of a newly arrived cowhand which are the hardest and dirtiest jobs. For speaking out of turn to her Queen she is to be banished from this castle and only to return when I see fit.
Taking a deep breath she continued, "For Velten, a man who spits on the institution of marriage, shames his fiancée and thinks absolutely nothing of sex or a woman's honour, will receive 500 lashes and he will be incarcerated in this castle's dungeon until I say otherwise."
Velten said nothing and he did not even try to talk his way out. He deserved it. 500 lashes from a human's hands was nothing to him. He would not even feel it. As for being jailed. Yes, for all the pain he caused Eleanor, he deserved much more than that.
Tsubaki commanded, "Patricia and Victoria, please escort Velten to the dungeon. His lashes will be administered in the morning two days from today." The two maids flanked Velten and he went with them without protest.
"Yolanda and Regina, please put Katherine under house arrest in the maid's sleeping area until the morning two days from now when she too will receive her lashes and then escorted to the cattle ranch. All other maids will relocate to the secondary sleeping hall until she leaves. No one is permitted to speak to her. Regina and Yolanda, please, lock her in and take first watch. You can choose 2 other maids to take over for you for the second shift. Bind her hands with the blood shackles so that she cannot use any magic. Her father will be informed of her lack of decorum and punishment when he arrives.
"For not doing your job effectively, Amanda, Lily, Cecilia and Joanna, your work load will be doubled for two weeks." She then concluded with an odious voice, "If anyone fails in their duties tonight, or disobeys any of my instructions they will be severely punished. Am I understood?"
"Yes, your Majesty!" all the maids said simultaneously.
"Dismissed!"
When the staff emptied from the room, Tsubaki slumped heavily into her chair. She was so exhausted! How would she deal with the King Reagent's arrival in this state? Hopefully the weather would deter him.
Hana approached her and said, "Tsubaki... wow! I have never seen you like that!" Hana said.
"Well done!" Vivi congratulated. "You really are a Queen!" he smiled.
"I am so very sorry you had to go through all that trouble, Tsubaki!" Eleanor said. "I did not mean to create a problem for you..."
"It was no problem, Eleanor. This is something that I must do to keep things in order."
Gilbert listened to them, but watched only Tsubaki. He had to admit that her display of power was intriguing and it made her seem infinitely more desirable. He cursed under his breath. What was he doing? He had no business lusting after her after wounding her so badly. He needed to apologize to her if it was the last thing he did before leaving here. He knew that when she guided him back to Earth it would be the last time he saw her and he had made up his mind to tell her how sorry he was then. He knew she may not even listen, but he had to do it. Then she would be free to pursue someone who was truly worthy of her. She should not be the wife of a demon butler, should she? He smiled to himself. He did not deserve such a woman. Not one bit! She was a Queen, the Queen of Avalon and she deserved a King, a real King.
When a messenger came in to say that the King Reagent could not make it because of the weather, Tsubaki literally hopped for joy! She instructed the messenger to inform Malinda to halt all preparations since the Reagent was not coming after all. Gilbert smiled sadly when he saw her jump with a big stupid smile on her face. Yes, she would recover. He said to himself as he silently slipped away from the room back into his quarters. The sun would be setting soon. He needed to be in solitude.