Afterwards, Wolfram returned to his own pallet, curling up in a tight ball under the covers and burying his face in one hand, the recovered pendant clutched in the other. He felt so dirty… Tabbert hadn't hurt him… much… but despite his earlier assertions to himself that it didn't matter, because Yuuri would never love him… he still felt like he had betrayed his dark-eyed king. He bit back a quiet moan of despair, buried his head in his arms, and cried himself back to sleep.
It was light when he found himself jolted rudely awake by a rough hand on his shoulder and a gruff voice barking, "All right, boy, get up! You're under arrest for theft!"
This caused Wolfram to sit bolt upright, blinking in shock as he found himself surrounded by four border guards, one of whom grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and dragged him upright. In the corner he spotted Tabbert, who was shuffling a little uneasily and flashing him another of those disgusting sly smiles. The blonde's eyes widened. That little bastard! He… He turned me in anyway!
As the guards tugged Wolfram down the stairs, one of them demanded that he hand over the "stolen" pendant. When the boy remained stubbornly silent, the soldier shoved him up against a wall and searched him roughly, soon finding the jewelry in one of his pockets. Wolfram cried out in dismay as it was taken and reached for it, but the guard who held him yanked him back and pulled him outside. Just then, a deep familiar voice called out, and Wolfram whipped his head around, staring openly.
"What's going on here?" It was Raven, the right-hand man of New Makoku's former regent, Stoffel. His dark eyes widened when he saw the boy the guards held and recognized him. "Wolfram? What are you doing here, and… what are you doing dressed like that?"
"This man is a thief," one of the guards was saying, but he stumbled to a halt when Raven said the name and took another look at Wolfram, who was glaring at Raven with eyes full of green fire. "W-Wolfram… Wolfram von Bielefeld…?"
Well, the game was up now, so Wolfram saw no point in continuing the charade. Angrily he shook off the soldiers and smoothed his shirt. "Of course, von Bielefeld, you idiot," he growled, turning to the man who had taken the pendant and snatching it back.
Raven was looking amused. "The kingdom has been in such an uproar since your disappearance, my lord. I hear the king is very upset."
Wolfram's jaw tightened, and he said nothing. Raven smirked and continued, "I think you should accompany me back to my lord's castle. You may recover there and then return to Blood Pledge Castle." The blonde opened his mouth to protest, but the older man cut him off. "You don't really have much choice, my lord." He smiled as Wolfram gritted his teeth.
A couple of hours later, Wolfram rode through the gates of Spitzberg castle, flanked by two of Raven's guards, with Raven himself riding directly ahead of him. As they neared the doors to the castle proper, they opened, and out strode Stoffel, Wolfram's uncle. He looked a little startled when he saw his nephew, but quickly covered it with a smile and spread his arms in a gesture of welcome.
"Wolfram! What a pleasant surprise! I've been wondering where you disappeared to since I got word you'd run away."
Wolfram ground his teeth at his uncle's choice of words, but forced a smile. "Indeed. Raven managed to convince me I should come visit you." He didn't miss the glance that the blonde lord shared with his advisor, and his shoulders stiffened. Stoffel turned back to him with a smile.
"Well, then of course, you're welcome to stay as long as you like! Raven, show my nephew to a room and let him get settled in. I'll send word to the king that his wayward companion has been found." Stoffel strode back into the castle, heading for his private study as Raven led Wolfram in another direction, towards the guest quarters.
Raven set him up in the most luxurious room in the castle -- aside from Stoffel's own quarters, that is -- and bowed. "If you have need of anything, my lord, please don't hesitate to ask." Then he left, and there was an audible click that could only be the sound of a key turning in a lock. Wolfram shot out of the chair he had settled in and ran across to the door, yanking on the handle in vain. Damn it! I should have known they'd try something like this… They'll probably use me to try and… Oh no… Yuuri! They were going to try to use him to get to the king!
Wolfram pounded on the door, calling out and demanding to be let go. He was utterly ignored; there wasn't even an answering voice telling him to shut up. Finally the blonde boy collapsed back into his chair, fists clenched and tears of helpless rage finding his cheeks.