Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KYOU KARA MAOU
Not my property, no profit made.
I wanted to finish my breakfast as soon as possible in order to go to the port and go on board with Conrad to search for the Demon sword. Yes, you've heard well; there's a special sword for me! It's a legendary one; Shinou the first king used to own it and fight with it. Wow, it's totally awesome. It's a several-thousand year old sword and I'm going to have it, now! It was just an overwhelming feeling as it felt unreal and too amazing for a simple teenager like me. It is said it was released in Van Da Via. An isle where, if you fall in love with one of the girls there, the volcano may wake up and erupt.
" Shouldn't we avoid the girls, then? You know...if I meet one there...and she's too pretty or too nice...I may, you know..." Fall in love...I felt my cheeks turning red. They burnt. Conrad gave me an amused smile.
" No, it's all right, your majesty. It's just a legend. It comes from the folklore of this small island. Nothing scaring to fear, I promise, and don't forget I'm by your side." He rested his hand upon my shoulder, still softly smiling at me. His teeth are dazzlingly white. This time, I felt my cheeks blushing for another reason but I rather keep the reason for myself.
We made our way to the stables where our horses had been prepared for us. I was still not truly good at riding, but thanks to the lessons I've been given by both Conrad and Gunter, I manage to control my horse, Ao, that seemed to love me now. Conrad had said, with a small chuckle, that Ao was in love with me...
If it's a joke...Well I found it lame- but I had smiled back at him in response.
" Remember your majesty, we have a few hour-riding to the port, then, we'll be shipped in a simple boat to the island. As soon as we arrive there, we'll find a good inn to rest in and continue our search."
" Great!" I felt eager, it sounded like a nice adventure to make with him " here we go!"
" Farewell your majesty, I hope you'll come back in one piece, safe and alive!!"
I turned around, surprised and frowning at that snivelling tone: Gunter, from the front balcony, was waving me good bye with his kerchief. Why do I have this sudden picture of a fiancée saying good bye to her lover? I shuddered, and forced myself to wave back with a smile. Then, I instantly turned around and we rode out of the courtyard.
" Hey."
Both Conrad and I swivelled our heads to the left and- oh! Surprise!- caught sight of Wolfram. Wolfram.
He was seriously too beautiful for his own good. I always found out that the most beautiful persons in the world could be the ugliest too if they were not good persons in the inside. But , no matter how badly Wolfram treated me, and the flaws he showed me to annoy me, I couldn't find him ugly. I wonder if he has a girlfriend...I have none, to my chagrin, and I hope to date one soon, even if I was just a mere boy who liked baseball.
" Wolfram, what are you doing here?"
He had been obviously waiting at the doors of the court, on his white horse, and was now facing us as he got closer to us.
" Gwendal told me to go with you to watch over..." he turned his eyes at me and looked at me with much condescension " this wimp."
" Wolfram," Conrad replied with a warning tone " respect him, too."
The blond glared at me.
" Even if he's our king, he's still a good-to-nothing. He can't protect himself: he can't sword fight, and he can't summon the Maou whenever he wants. You'll need me to protect him, Weller-kyo."
" What's wrong with you! I can take care of myself, if I bother you so much, you can still go back to the castle."
We stared at one another. I thought he was going to say something back but he superbly ignored me instead.
" Let's go, Weller," he uttered before riding ahead of us. Conrad and I exchanged a glance then sighed. Well, I bet we'll have to put up with mister Arrogance.
At last, after two hours of riding, my butts a bit sore, we arrived at the port. There were many people, and Conrad previously disguised me with a red wig, and brown lenses. It had been weird, yet funny to see what I looked like in his small mirror. It was another Yuuri. Conrad helped to climb up the tiny wood stairs of the ship. As for Wolfram...well, Wolfram is Wolfram. He's still ignoring me. It's as if I didn't exist. As I was pondering over his behaviour towards me, I didn't realize I bumped into him as we descended the stairs leading towards the cabinets.
Wolfram whirled around and glared at me.
" Ah...excuse me," I stuttered, stepping back at the annoyance dancing in his eyes.
" Wolfram, calm down," intervened Conrad a second time as he opened the doors for us. There were three beds and nothing was luxurious. Only simplicity met my eyes. Some wardrobes, a table, a contiguous tiny bathroom...I think it will be okay, it's almost the first time I am travelling by sea!
I chose the bed near the window and sat down upon it but Wolfram, still frowning, ordered me to switch beds.
" You will be in the middle, it's better for me and Weller to protect you like this."
As I remained silent, he hardened his stare:
" Hurry up!"
I almost jumped at his tone. I was going to meekly obey him and do as I was told, but something stirred within me. My breath laboured, I raised to my feet and kept staring into his face. I saw some surprise in his eyes because I'm sure he didn't expect me to react like this.
" You could have told me so in a kinder way," I said. Really! I'm not his dog or a precious toy to toss and play with the way he wants! He crossed his arms:
" If you were not that dumb, you would have reacted quicker instead of staring at me like a dead fish!"
I took in a deep breath:
" Sorry not to be the king you wanted but you better behave well with me, I'm not going to let you crush me for the simple reason you don't appreciate me and my lineage! I have nothing against you!" Except for the fact he hadn't respected my mother. But if I put that aside, I held him almost no grudge. So why did he keep looking at me so dirtily? " ..let's try to be friends, okay?" I said 'okay' with a more timid tone, oddly. He gazed at me with a diminished frown, surprise increasing, and unfolded his arms. I held my hand for him. He looked at it, then, back at me.
" Mph. I guess friending with an old but honourable soldier would be much better than you."
He turned around to go to the bathroom, and left me frozen in place... It's only when Conrad let out a sigh of tiredness I came back to reality.
" I think you should not look after him, your majesty." He smiled softly, yet, I could see some sadness in his smile " It's hard to win his trust, even harder to keep it. Moreover, I'm sure that your personality will win over him, someday."
He started to unpack our suitcases, and I decided to change my gears: only riding for two hours made me transpire much and it was hot today. I decided to follow Conrad's advice and not to care about Wolfram. After all if he wanted to be disagreeable with people, it wasn't my problem. I found nice clothes to put on, and Conrad helped me to make me look smart according to the nobles' standards here. I nodded as I approved of his choice. He was well dressed, too. Wolfram got out of the bathroom, and the first thing that hit me was how pale and sick he looked. He didn't look at us and toppled down upon his bed, near the window, belly facing the mattress.
" How...?" I started. Conrad sighed again with annoyance:
" That's why I'm trying to understand why Gwendal sent him with us, he knows Wolfram is seasick! He's going to be more a burden than a help," he said.
" Seasick?!!"
" S-Shut up..." Wolfram grumbled with a husky voice. " I'm fine."
" You should...eat something sweet...like yoghurt."
" Don't talk about food! It makes me want vomit, so shut up."
Okay, okay, I'll do as I was told so.
There was going to be a ball party, and I felt a bit nervous because I haven't really been in those kinds of things in my whole life. I don't know who will be there, if I will have fun... But I guess we should entertain like this until we arrived to Van Da Via. I let Conrad guide me to the upper part of the boat and I marvelled at the beauty of its decoration. Coloured lights were disposed everywhere, long curtains were arranged so that we had a kind of arbour above the dancing place...My admiration stopped there, though: people were disgusting. How could they throw the bones of the eaten chicken wings on the ground as if it was a rubbish? I emitted a small "ew"then walked away from them. Conrad advised me which wine and treats to taste. I know I made him look like a baby-sitter but I could rely only on him. When I'm better as a king, well if I'm really a king,too; I'll be more independent.
Ahh, Yuuri, you might as well enjoy the party and get some fun! I'd give myself a rest tonight from the serious thoughts and matters and observe my new world! I started tasting everything and I got a few strange glances from young ladies. Suddenly, one of them, frighteningly very muscular, and er...very tall, headed towards me, her big breasts almost dancing in her walk. I dropped my chicken wings.
" Oooooooooh, a new one!! you're so cute!!" she said clasping her hands together. It was crazy how her biceps showed more when she leaned forward to talk to me. Her hair was orange, and her eyes blue. I would have considered her a very beautiful woman if she didn't have so much make up on her face. " What's your name, sweetie?" She asked as she caressed my jaw line. I shivered.
" I'm...Florian", I remember Conrad and Wolfram and I had to hide our true identities.
" Florian! How delicate...may I have this dance with you? You're the most suitable man I've seen so far..." She batted her eyelashes.
I don't want to look smaller than my partner.
" Oh, Florian!" YEAH, Conrad to my rescue!! I wheeled around to look at him coming at us, an old man and a blond girl with him.
" I'm presenting you Heathcliff and his daughter Beatrice. Mister Heathcliff, here's my master Florian Dugalet. They met me a few months ago on the same boat. They travel a lot."
" Ah, nice to meet you," I said shaking his hand. He looked like a nice, well-educated man. He smiled at me and asked in a soft tone:
" Please, will you grant my daughter a dance? She's getting bored and I want a nice young man to be her dance partner for the night."
Beatrice stared at me with her huge blue eyes. So much intelligence in them. I nodded, a bit flustered. It was going to be my first dance and I can't say I'm a good dancer. She promptly took my hand and led me among the dancers who chuckled at 'how cute and young we were!'. I tried to ignore them and began to dance with the blond girl. She was almost taking the lead and it kind of scared me. I felt ashamed too! While we were waltzing, she was looking at me intently, making me wonder what she was seeking in my appearance.
" Do I have something on my face?" I asked after a while.
" No...But your eyes look fake."
...When I was saying she was intelligent... I paled and started to laugh nervously.
" Ah aha ha...no...um, they're my eyes, for real!"
" Yes...but..." she stopped, stared at me then shook her head. " Never mind, I'm sorry to bother you, mister Florian. I'm glad you're a good dancer. The other boy, near the table, wanted to invite me to dance but I already danced with him a few months ago. He's bad at it and he ended up crushing my feet two times."
" Ahaha, I guess he's not that good. Well, I'm pretty happy you found me pleasant enough to dance with. How many times have you travelled by ship this year?"
" Five times, with my father only. I lost my mother. My father and I loved her very much. Even if he misses her, he's happy again. He told me he wished me a good marriage too when I'm an adult."
Such sweet words were enough to melt my heart. I smiled down at her and nodded:
" I hope too for you..." Someone jolted all of a sudden and I stumbled against her. I quickly stepped back and glared at the drunk couple behind me. They didn't apologize as they didn't pay attention to me. Well, in their state, it was pretty normal. I then looked at her again:
" Are you fine? Did I hurt you?"
" No...but...your left eye is black now."
My eyes widened and a sudden sensation of cold ran in my body. She kept staring at me with stupefaction, and the memory of Gunter telling me how black hair and eyes were rare in this world violently came back in mind. I turned away from her, searching for my lens that must have fallen somewhere around but couldn't find it. I grew panicked!
" I'm sorry, Beatrice, I must go, now!!"
And, hiding my left eye with my hand, I almost took in a sprint. Here was Cinderella leaving the ball before midnight. What a horrible feeling...I wanted to show that to Conrad but I found him dancing with the blue-eyed woman who flirted with me and I could see how close they were.
Really, Conrad? Is she your type of women?
I didn't try to know the answer as I rushed back to our bedroom. The lamplights were on, and I headed toward my bed after I carefully closed the doors. I took off my right lens and looked at myself into the mirror. I saw a light irritation in my left eye as if my contact had been taken off roughly.
I sighed. I guess it was the end of the ball for me. It's a pity: I started to get fun.
Wolfram got out of the bathroom, his body wrapped underneath a thick white peignoir, his curly golden hair drying underneath a white towel. He slightly startled at seeing me but then chose to speak:
" So what? Already coming back from the party? You couldn't stand the crowd?"
" No...I lost one of my contact lenses."
" As it was expected from a wimp," he said triumphantly.
" Hey, I'm not a wimp! Someone wasn't careful enough! They were drunk and jolted me." It's not my fault for God's sake!Tossing my complaint aside with a mocking look, Wolfram sat in front of the mirror standing on the table, and unwrapped the towel around his head. His damped hair fell around his head like a gold rain. Its colour captivated me. He started to comb his hair, daintily as if it was the most precious thing to him. His gestures were so graceful. I recognized in him Celi's son.
" What?" he asked sharply, looking at me in the mirror. I saw his green eyes directed at me.
" Nothing." I turned away. We will never be friends, I'm afraid. How could Gunter and Conrad expect me to get along with him when he was only rude and disdainful towards me? I'm more than ready to try to accept Wolfram as a friend, or at least, an adviser, but it wasn't the same for him.
Kings don't always have loyal servants or " friends"... so how do they do? Do they fire them? Or do they put up with people as conceited and cold as Wolfram?
" What are you thinking about?" He suddenly asked me.
" W-what?"
" I asked: what are you talking about?" it obviously bothered him to repeat things. So I would have to be careful about that.
"...Nothing...Just insignificant things."
" Mph. Well, if you want to daydream you can still go to the bathroom, because I'm going to switch the lights off and have my rest. Or you can join Weller...where is he already?"
" He's still at the party," I answered as I watched Wolfram walking slowly towards his bed. " Are you feeling better?" I enquired.
As he was lifting the blanket on his bed to slide under it, he stopped in his movement and I wonder what I have done again. I couldn't help but sigh. He stared at me with an undecipherable feeling, then lay down.
" I'm fine, of course... Decide what you want to do now! I want to sleep!"
" O-okay, okay...I will take a shower, then, I think I'm going to sleep too."
I rose from my bed then headed towards the bathroom. It was so tiny that I had to take care of not making noise as I undressed. I saw golden threads upon the floor, and I understood it was Wolfram's hair. I picked them up then threw them in a dustbin. The shower I then took relieved me a little. A towel around my waist, I went back to the bathroom, the lights still on, and rummaged through my clothes to find pyjamas. I then slip then on. Wolfram whose back was facing me asked me if I was finished.
" Yes."
" Thank God!"
He pushed on a button located near his bedside table then we were plunged in the dark. It was very silent, except for the soft sounds of music and laughs and the waves outside.
" Good night," I said mechanically as I'm used to when there are friends at home, for birthdays or things like that. Wolfram didn't respond.
He must be the only one sleeping because he made no sound, and my eyes were still open. I think I'm too stressed over the events that had occurred. I miss my family, I worry for them, and I wasn't crowned King officially.
Conrad came back a few hours later, gingerly entering the bedroom, and trying not to make noise. He checked on us and asked quietly why I didn't stay long and I answered him. He smiled, I could see it thanks to the small candle he had lit and put upon the table between his bed and mine, then went to the bathroom to wash himself. When he came back, he dressed himself with his own pyjamas, and lay down.
" Sleep, your majesty. Wolfram and I will watch over you, don't worry."
" I don't worry...But okay...Good night, Conrad, sleep well."
" Sleep well, too, your majesty..."
" And about this woman you danced with... Is she your girlfriend?..."
He emitted a quiet amused laugh then the room was silent again. Conrad's presence must be soothing my fears because I instantly felt drowsy, sleep dragging me in its depths...
I opened my eyes and after a few seconds, a natural surprise took over me. It was still very dark...Was it not supposed to be morning? I rolled on my side. Frustration increased within me as sleep refused to take me with it.
" Not sleeping?"
It was then I distinguished a very small candle lit near Wolfram's bed. He was sitting against the headboard and was...reading?
"...No...I just woke up. And you?"
" I'm in surveillance. Conrad must rest; like this, he can look after you then."
...How thoughtful of him. He was the one to despise Weller, wasn't he? I guess he did that as a soldier too.
" Thanks," I muttered. He ignored my gratefulness, and turned a page of his book. I guess he didn't want to talk to me, and I couldn't be loud because Conrad was asleep. So again, I tried to reach dreamland as soon as possible but I kept tossing and turning. It was clear I couldn't sleep.
" I'm going to walk a little above," I said finally, taking in a sitting position. " It'll help me to sleep."
" And do you think you can go there on your own?" he asked, closing his book. I sensed both astonishment and mockery in his voice. " People will find out about you! You want to ruin Weller and my work by such a whim?"
" No, I didn't mean that! I can't sleep and I can't remain still, I need to walk a little."
There was a pause. I heard him exhale a long breath.
" Fine, I'll go with you. I can't ask Conrad to accompany you and I can't let you go alone, like an idiot. So I have to follow you."
A warm feeling washed over me.
" Aah...thank you. I swear we won't stay long outside, we'll be back in the bedroom soon."
" Hurry up and put your shoes on."
...Yes, captain Wolfram...
TBC