Chapter 3: Just A kid On Ice
One would say, Subaru was in a very, very, weird and confusing position in life at the moment. The 8 year-old boy from Japan, has suddenly found himself in another city that is so far away from his hometown that no one knew where his hometown was.
That's not even the distressing part. No.
That honor goes to the fact that apparently, he was famous in this place. And a lot of people knew who he was…
Weird types of people that honestly look like a bunch of circus freaks with all of the fantasy traits and odd colors they choose to dress in. The small child couldn't hold any feelings of fear anymore because he already saw these people at their absolute worst when he witnessed them getting frozen over and then defrozen by some angry shadow-covered blonde girl as she went head to head with the annoying older pointy-eared lady.
It was, for the lack of a better term, a crap show. One he had to watch while hiding behind a couch in a corridor so he wouldn't get hurt as the powerful girls fought it out with ice and black magic going toe-to-toe. That poor cat-looking blonde boy was frozen over in a wall after Scary Emilia kicked him into it… Sad.
The Otto kid was hiding behind a pillar and hoped he wouldn't be found… Also sad.
Some guy named Clind was also trying to hide behind a pillar, Subaru may have seen an orange-haired little girl shaking in fear behind that same pillar, and something in the 8 year old's mind told him that the nasty smirk the older butler had wasn't spelling a knight-in-shining-armor where he saves the girl scenario, the boy's worries were shattered as soon as Beatrice blasted Emilia with a shadow ball that was dodged by the half-elf and directed right where the four-eyed creep was trying to sneak, fully making him get sucked into the ball and getting slammed into one hundred different walls all across the mansion.
"Get away from my attacks, stupid butler!" The blonde loli had shouted after using the broken Clind's body as a platform to jump off into the air and start shooting at the speeding Emilia as both ladies continued to show the aggression they held for one another with this magic duel.
Clind could only cry on the ground after having to suffer Beatrice's attack that was meant for Emilia.
Sadness was going all around today.
Anyways…
Subaru managed to almost escape the mansion. He never knew these people, he didn't understand why this Scary Emilia lady was so mean, but he could tell it was because she was fat! Being pretty didn't mean she should stop worrying about her weight!
But he digressed, after almost trying his best not to be a cry baby, Subaru's efforts were all in vain as the doors shut closed and a bored-looking maid stood infront of him, unimpressed.
"You're not going to leave this mansion until Roswaal-sama gives you permission to."
"B-But… I want to go home! I want to see my mom and dad!" The young boy whimpered while looking at the rigid maid with trembling lips and watering eyes.
Seeing this sight before her, Ram let her feelings overwhelm her nerves and was forced to let a warm comforting smile cover her soft lips. "Barusu, you've become quite the devil player now that you're somewhat adorable."
Subaru was simply confused by this. Why did she sound like she was insulting him? And why did it sound so heartwarming at the same time?
Ram slowly stretched her arms out and carried the boy in both hands, looking at him with a warm small smile as she started walking away from the front gates of the mansion. "You must be patient, Barusu. Your parents will be sent here as soon as we can find this Japan you call it? We will find them and get them to take care of you as soon as possible. You shouldn't fret. Ram shall be your current guardian as per my lord's orders." The pink-haired maid had a motherly smile that told him she was happy to take care of him for another reason.
"Um, s-so my dad will come back to get me?" Subaru asked with hope as Ram strutted across the halls carrying him.
"Yes."
"And you will be taking care of me?"
"Yes. I will be teaching you how to write, read, and see to it you have an education in all courses of interest."
"So… You're like my school now?"
"I guess so, although you should count yourself lucky. Not many get the chance or privilege to study such advanced material in today's economy, you better thank Roswaal-sama every day for allowing you to have this kindness."
"Roschi? The clown-faced guy?" Subaru stuttered cutely, making Ram lessen her small glare into a small smile.
"Yes. Roswaal-sama. And you should refer to him as such. He is to be respected and placed in high regard for his kindness. And you shall address me as your Sensei from now on."
"You will be teaching me all kinds of cool stuff? Like those cool superpowers, these girls were using? Do I get superpowers too?! Would I be like All might or Spiderman?! I wanna be Spiderman, please, please!" As the boy wiggled in excitement, Ram simply gave a hearty chuckle and ruffled his hair. No one was around to see this, she planned to enjoy it. This was her god-given chance to raise Subaru into becoming a decent young man instead of the filthy shame sucking person she had met a year ago.
"Yes. We could start teaching you how to do magic as well. But you will have to get accustomed to living here at the moment first. Until we find your parents, we must make you feel at home quickly. You are a smart boy no matter how I hate to admit it to your disgusting older self, what would you think is best to start with? Back or front garden?"
"Ram-sama is better at choosing these things. I'm sure she will make it fun all the same!" Subaru quirked cutely with a bright smile showing his significantly better mood.
Ram only chuckled bemusedly at this, "Fufufu~ Then I shall not disappoint this little rascal." The maid continued to poke the boy's tummy and ruffle his hair as she walked down the halls to give him a tour.
Beatrice and Emilia had completely dismantled the lobby with their elegant magical arts and anger.
Clind never got his nerves to work again after that day…
…
…
He got them back in 3 hours after Beatrice and Emilia left the area to look for the black-haired boy.
No one helped him.
-2 DAYS LATER-
Subaru has grown accustomed to living life in this new world, he kept thinking back to his parents and what they were doing, but the nice pink-haired lady always assured him that they would be coming to get him sometime. He's been treated well, for the most part. Everyone was nice and a bit too attached to him, especially that weird Petra girl and how excited she was to spend time with him, but he liked them all anyways.
That Ram lady was so cool! She would teach him all kinds of new things to him and would support him if he missed up, she was like a strict cool mom!
Some of his favorite people were the dummy twins, as he called them. These two boys were sooo fun to hang out with, especially that Otto boy, making fun of him was the best!
Subaru's smile was wide as he hopped up and down the hallways towards the room where they were supposed to have lunch.
"Heeey, everyone!" The small boy called out confidently, walking in with excited steps to start his day.
Seeing the small kid entering the room, many of the present occupants replied with varied hellos and heys from their respective seats.
Letting his short legs carry him, the small boy softly strutted towards one of his most favored people in the entire mansion with a warm smile. "Hello, Beatrice-sama~!"
Turning from her book, the elegant spirit softly shot him a grin with her butterfly-shaped irises sparkling, "Well, if it isn't mister tardiness again. Why would Betty choose such a troublemaker as a friend, I wonder?" The older spirit teased the small boy from atop her chair, earning a gasp and a pained expression from the child.
"B-But Beatrice-sama! I wouldn't want to have any other spirit as my friend except for you! You're the best of the best!"
Beatrice's expression brightened, she patted the boy's head in satisfaction, "Betty's contractor knows how to earn her affection, I suppose-"
"Plus, Beatrice-sama is too adorable even though she is older than me. Age really doesn't do anything to spirits huh?"
The blonde loli huffed and glared at the younger boy with a blush donning her cheeks, "You can't say such insolent things to a woman of Betty's status, I suppose!" Subaru giggled as the older girl reprimanded from her place on the chair. Her pout was so cute.
"But Beako-saaaan!"
"No! You'll sit down beside Betty and not say a single word to her as punishment, infact." Beatrice huffed and turned to her book, her glare settling on a small smirk filled with mischief.
Subaru shrugged and happily jumped to sit on his seat beside the kind elegant Beatr-
"MAH BUTT!"
As Subaru's girlish scream filled the room, he held his behind and rubbed it in panic as the little small shrapnels of ice disappeared. From the surface of his chair.
"Pffft! Fufufhehehehahahaha!" As he held his behind, Subaru's face reddened in shame as Beatrice laughed while kicking her legs and holding her stomach.
"Don't laugh at me…" The adorable boy pouted in heartbreak as his older spirit seemed to have calmed down.
Shooting a smug smirk down towards him, Beatrice patted his head while triumphantly saying, "Betty's Subaru should know when to tease a lady, I suppose. You wouldn't have fallen into her trap had you been good to Betty, infact."
As the blonde loli lectured one more time, she returned to her book without a care for the sudden interest the humiliated Subaru showed at her words.
"What do you mean by 'her'?… WAIT A MINUTE!" As the small boy suddenly remembered the icicles placed beneath his butt cheeks on the seat, he could only come to one simple conclusion on who the culprit was, "You're as nasty as ever!" Subaru growled out towards the one person he hated most in this house, no, this whole world. His worst enemy. Santa Claus's killer. The best friend of the Boogie Man. The candy thief.
The silver-haired beautiful she-devil that caused him so much pain.
The one sitting right infront of him on the table like she always did every day with her own expression of annoyance and hate being delivered right at him.
"Beako-chan! You weren't supposed to tell him that!" Emilia muttered in betrayal and anger at the arrogant blonde spirit.
"I have no inclination to entertain your stupid war, I suppose. He is Betty's contractor no matter the age difference and Betty will do her best to help him, infact."
Emilia could only gaze at the blonde with hurt as Beako continued to read her book, "But I thought we were friends!"
"We are. But you're not enough of a good friend to call me Beako, infact." The small loli said in a monotone voice while turning a page from her book in disinterest, making Emilia sigh in disappointment.
"Darn it!" The royal candidate muttered as she turned to the little sewage ball of hellish idiocy that she loathed with all of her being. "Good morning… Twerp." Emilia muttered darkly while gazing at the small Subaru with an annoyed expression.
"Morning… Milady." Subaru growled right back with his sharp eyes narrowing with hate towards the older half-elf.
"Don't call me that! Only the real Subaru said that to me! You have no right to use that name in such a gross way!" Emilia growled out with annoyance and anger.
"My bad, I tried to be polite since you're so high and mighty." The small boy exaggerated with his hands being extended in the air.
"I never asked you to do that! I understand that most people want to treat me like royalty, but you can't just use that name in that voice and with that face… You are not the person who should be allowed to say it!"
"I only say it because it gets you mad. I don't know what or who you are talking about, and I don't care what you find annoying or not. I will do whatever I want as long as I'm not causing a mess, Miss Ram taught me this, hmph!" As Subaru faced Emilia with a look of confidence and anger, he took his stand and asserted dominance by using his mentor's name to invoke fear into his worst enemy.
Beatrice disinterestedly patted his head while keeping her eyes on the book. She was proud of him.
"And besides," the boy crossed his arms and pointed to his chair, "you were the one to start it today. I wanted to have a truce going, but you're too much of a dumbhead!"
"Don't call me dumb!" Emilia growled with her face set in a pout, childishly glaring the boy down, "I did that to you only because you left my pillows wet with vinegar water! That hurt my eyes all night long!"
"I was only helping exorcise the demons inside of you! My fault for thinking you were some poor girl possessed by evil ghosts, guess you just suck." Subaru smirked as he insulted the rage-filled Emilia.
"I hate you so much!" The older candidate growled out with an expression spelling out the sheer need for her to jump over the table and spank the boy until he learns to spell out her name in every language on the continent and some old ones just for measure. To show him who's boss. He was such a smug, insolent, spoiled little brat that Emilia loathed the very thought of.
"Milady!"
"I hate you."
"Miloooodaaaayyy!"
"I hate you so much."
"Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey…. Does Milady want dessert?"
"Sooo muuuuuch haaaateee."
Emilia rubbed her temple and gritted her teeth in annoyance as the boy sang and hopped around her with his usual smugness filling the air around him. Oh, how close he was to her fist.
"Now noooow~" an eccentric voice spoke out as the lord of the mansion entered the room, being the final to arrive with the maids in tow. "Subaru-kuun, you must show respect for our royal benefactor, You will be serving her as a knight one day, ya'knoooow."
The boy simply shuddered at the thought while the silver-haired girl glared at him narrowly with annoyance. "Never!"
"I would rather die!"
Both of them whispered hatefully at the thought of having to work together, Roswaal shook his head at this.
"Emilia-samaaaa," the royal candidate turned glaringly at the lord, "Please take care of what you do to the young boy, he's just a child with childish tendencies, you must be the bigger perso-"
"I tried! I tried to be a good older person, but this nincompoop is not only annoying and pathetic, he's so smug and stupid! I hate him! I want my Subaru back!" Emilia childishly spat out while glaring at the clown before her.
"Please just tryyyyy." Roswaal sighed and swiftly made for his seat and away from the glaring amethyst eyes of Emilia.
"Barusu," Ram regally picked the boy up with ease and placed him on his seat with an expression of indifference, it confused Subaru why Ram-sama acted so cold toward him when there were people around, but he couldn't care less since she was the best mentor when they were studying alone or with Beatrice present, she allows him to have candy whenever he was good.
"No batch of cookies for you today."
Forget that, Ram was just as evil as Emilia.
"Why?!" Subaru asked as he felt his heart shatter into pieces.
The pink-haired maid simply patted his head and smiled at him, "You must be punished for provoking another prank war with miss Emilia. You're a servant-to-be and you must show respect to your superiors."
"That's right!" Emilia took the opportunity to extend her tongue and taunt the heartbroken boy as he lost his rights to a cookie because he messed with her. Teach him, Ram-sama!
"And you, Emilia-sama. You mustn't let a simple child get on your nerves like this, you're a royal candidate that may take the throne of our kingdom, a simple child should be handled easily to an adult such as yourself, no more cake for you."
Forget that too, Ram-sama suuuucked.
"B-But… I understand, Ram-san. Thank you for the lesson." Seeing nothing but disappointment in the rigid maid's eyes, Emilia decided to sourly be an adult and take her losses.
For a moment, both Emilia and Subaru let their eyes wander to one another…
"This is all your fault!"
They shouted in their heads while gritting their teeth.
"– sigh – Aren't these two ever going to get along?" Frederica muttered dryly as she stood next to her lord and Ram.
"I don't think it's Subaru's fault really, but Emilia-sama isn't being much of a grown-up," Petra spoke out from behind the older maid as she finished sitting up the fireplace behind Roswaal's seat.
"What do you mean, Petra-chan? Subaru-sama has just as much of a responsibility in this situation since he keeps instigating Emilia-sama with his… pranks." The blonde beastwoman spat the last word dryly while glaring at the boy, remembering every instance where she had to clean up a mess he made for the past 3 days.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(FLASHBACK)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Thank you for making me a hot bath, Frederica-san. I'm soooo tired from today's studying session, I just wish to relax."
"Of course, Emilia-sama's comfort is my job after all. Please call for me if there's a need, I will have your new clothes in my hands at the door."
"Thank you." Emilia whispered tiredly and went inside of the bathroom to-
"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH! EW EW EW EW!"
"What's wrong Emilia-sama?!" Frederica shouted as she moved to enter the room, fearing the worst had happened.
As she entered, all she found was a horrified elf, stuck to the wall with her arm pointed towards the tub Frederica had prepared with hot water for the princess…
A tub filled with clearly exported ground dragon dung. (Means shit.)
"What the…" Frederica growled out in astonishment and anger at her now filthy bathroom.
The sound of childish giggling coming from a young boy as he skipped down the halls was enough for both ladies to identify the culprit behind this disgusting attack on Emilia's bath time.
"S-Subaruuuuu!" Emilia growled through gritted teeth as she lost her precious bathing time to that moron!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(FLASHBACK END)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Subaru-sama is acting like a brat." Frederica gritted her sharp teeth as she remembered having to clean up all of the disgusting Patrasche filth from the expensive mansion bathtub.
"It isn't like he's the adult of the two." A rigid voice cut both, Frederica and Petra off as the speaker glared at the blonde maid beside her, making sure not to let the others hear their conversation as the table began to eat.
"What do you mean, Ram-sama?" Petra smugly asked, knowing that her pink-haired sensei would take Subaru's side.
"I mean, Emilia-sama's hardly been trying to give the boy a break ever since he took revenge on her for throwing him on the ground."
Frederica raised a brow at this, "I know Emilia-sama's been indulgent of lowering herself to Subaru's level but she's never done truly horrific things like the boy was able to do. I understand why she is frustrated enough to start playing into his games, the boy is a menace."
Ram's glare burned against Frederica's own as they both faced off against one another.
"Emilia-sama has no right to be so extreme with idiot Barusu, Hmph!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(FLASHBACK)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ram had just finished her lessons with Subaru for the day, he was a bright child for his first time learning Lugunican I-glyphs, but he still needed to get a good attention span or else he may get distracted every time he's first to study.
As the maid was walking to do her daily chores, the boy was kind enough to offer her assistance, saying that his father always told him to help if he was a guest in someone's house. Ram simply agreed because the boy used his terrible puppy eyes on her like a manipulating devil, not because she was lazy. (It was because she was lazy.)
So while Ram left the boy to wipe the ground floor to the mansion's entrance, the young boy was doing his best to make the entire hall shine. The boy was doing his best to make his teacher proud of him and let her rest easy knowing he was a capable helper.
Then… a wild evil came...
"Hmm~ You reaaaally did a phenomenal job, Subaru!" A feminine, poison-laced, voice spoke from behind him, "This hallway is looking like it's been cleaned by the best of the best! I'm sure Ram-san would be proud of you." Subaru turned to face the sickening, sweet smile of the beautiful Princess as she stood over him, using her taller height to tower over him as she delivered her fake appreciative congratulations.
Subaru quickly brought his broom to his front, looking at the lady he's been fighting with for a day with suspicion, "Don't know why you're here, scary freak. But this is my work! You won't steal it from me by saying you cleaned this floor!" The boy growled at Emilia protectively.
The silver-haired beauty in question simply kept her rigid smile on as she lowered herself to face the boy, keeping her amethyst eyes stuck on his, staring into his soul.
"I won't do such a thing, we're friends, Subaru-kun." The sheer coldness in her tone filled the small child with fear as he started shaking before the pissed-off half-elf royalty, while she only gazed into his soul with a frozen smile, her eyes showing the sheer raging fire of fury behind them.
"And you know what friends don't do, Subaru? Hm? They don't come into your room and shred your diary book into pieces." Emilia's tone was filled with frostbite coldness as she growled under her breath while sitting face to face with the young boy.
Subaru widened his eyes and visibly shook in place, "I never wanted it to be your dairy! Y-You shredded my old tracksuit! Mom gave me that for my birthday!"
"I didn't mean to do that to your clothing, and besides, it was a small tear! You shouldn't have been trying to run away while carrying a knife around! I was saving you but you kept struggling and crawling away like a hoodlum instead of hearing me out. You don't get the right to cut my personal belongings which were placed in my room!"
As the silver-haired girl shouted in anger, Subaru only kept his head low as he muttered.
"What was that?!" Emilia spat while looking at the child with disgust and annoyance.
"I said the book I shred was a fake! Your real book is under the stupid bed!" Subaru childishly extended his tongue out while defying her.
Emilia simply clicked her tongue and scrunched her nose cutely in disgust, she was played once again, the boy got her to lose control once more over trivial things, he was slowly breaking her sanity.
"Whatever, don't come into my room again, or else I will freeze your pants for a week!" Before the royal candidate could turn heel and leave to waste her time on an important matter that was not related to this lowlife child, the boy had decided that it would be appropriate to splash her back with some water he picked up from the dirty bucket he was using to clean the rags he wiped the hallway with.
Emilia took one look at her royal white dress, now dirty black with bucket water scum, and then turned towards the small trembling boy that held a defying look of anger on his face.
"You don't boss me around, lady!" Subaru shouted, sick of Emilia's constant presence over him.
The half-elf girl simply breathed and stepped towards the boy with a calculated look, glancing at the bucket, and then to the shining hallway, Emilia's face slowly formed into a brilliant smirk as she swiftly turned to aim her smirk towards the boy.
"What?" Subaru asked, now scared of what she had in mind.
"Apologize." Emilia whispered darkly, keeping her smirk in place.
"N-No! You deserved it!" Subaru stuttered but kept his stance strong against the older girl.
Emilia nodded her head and took a deep breath, "Whew, you asked for it then," before he could ask what she meant, the pouting half-elf raised her foot backwards and kicked the bucket with her super strength infused with every fiber of her leg to make the bucket fly across the entire hall.
Subaru could only look on with a hung jaw, his shining hallway has now turned into a black trail of dirty water that dribbled and painted the corners and walls event as Emilia's kick had sent splatters of the disgusting mud water all over… there was some even on the ceiling.
"Missed a spot." Emilia snorted while glancing at him with annoyance, "Ram-san is about to come check on you aaaany minute now," She slowly lowered herself to whisper into his ear, "You better get to cleaning this up." She seethed before turning and walking away with her fists clenched in anger.
"I hate you so much! You're so ugly on both the inside and the outside!" Subaru shouted with tears in his eyes.
Emilia simply turned to him with her own eyes filled with droplets, "You suck, Subaru!"
"You suck more!"
"No! You suck even mor-"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(FLASHBACK END)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"She needs to grow the hell up, this is only a child and yet she's border on abusing him because he doesn't want to be controlled by her." Ram snorted quietly and turned away from the unimpressed Frederica.
"You think it's easy for Emilia-sama to own it and treat this boy like a simple child? This was the one boy that gave her meaning, how would you feel if Roswaal-sama turned into a child one day and started bullying you with mean pranks like filling your morning coffee with mud-root elands and raw fish? You would punish him severely, yet all Emilia-sama could do is lash out against the boy because she still sees him as the version of Subaru that stole the one she loves in both form and placement and started bullying her on the constant. That boy needs discipline. Emilia-sama is in the right to be harsh on him."
"Hmph!" Ram turned away with crossed arms, it seemed none of the maids were in agreement over the matter so they all remained silent while the mansion's residents ate their lunches.
Subaru and Emilia kept ignoring each other's existence as they ate.
"Hm," One man hummed in thought, looking at both Emilia and Subaru then back to his food, "I thought it was funny at first… but this may end up dangerous to my plaaans." Roswaal thought as he mused on the maid's argument behind him.
If this child Subaru was permanent, and he still had that looping ability… he may not agree to guide Roswaal's way to his teacher since Emilia will be the key to that road Subaru needs to open.
He can't let this hatred between the two continue, Roswaal swiftly wiped away a bit of food from his lips and glanced up at the table with his arms folded to the elbows.
"Subaru-kuuun," said boy suddenly perked up towards the clownish man with his pure eyes showing curiosity, Roswaal noted how the youngling's eyes no longer held pain and despair behind them, only a clean slate that abandoned everything the older Subaru held back, His guilt almost made him forget Emilia's annoyed scoff as she continued to gaze at her food in anger, "It seems like not everyone has been able to deal with your recent chaaange… I think we need to take some time to wrap our heaaads around all of this… without you being present."
Emilia perked up suddenly and turned to the clown with full attention, Subaru looked confused while others, like Ram, Petra, and Beatrice glared at the clownish man.
"Now now! I get we will miss him, but I won't be taking him away for loong-"
"What do you mean, you are taking him, I wonder? You don't have the right to even look at my Subaru, infact." Beatrice growled dangerously as she patted the smaller boy's head protectively.
Roswaal's eyes twinkled mischievously, "I shall be taking young Subaru-kun to teach him how to fish! We shall be away for only a few daaaaays!"
"WHAT?!"
"YES!"
Only one person shouted yes…
The rest of the room was the what.
I know I made Emilia too immature or 'evil' here.
Things will be back on track as soon as Roswaal's plans take motion in chapter 4.
Sister Emilia is coming, I promise.
Tell me if you liked it, or hated it. This chapter I mean, I only wrote this in an hour or two because I was bored from writing reactions.
Thanks for reading!