Another 21 sept'11
Disclaimer: G-boys are not saru's... and saru already forgotten the details of the anime too.
chapter 4
The wind was blowing strong passed the Galley Hill, billowing like the sound of an endless whistle. Lix made a happy lizard-whistling too once in a while.
'kreeeee~aaa...'
It sounded repeatedly.
Odin glanced at the lizard with a frown. "What is the Lesard doing?"
"Singing." he answered. The baby cooed happily when Lix sprung every now and then, flapping its fan-like end of tail while doing it. The baby must've felt like being in a rocker.
A very eccentric one, for that.
"Singing what?" Odin's face contorted in a disturbed frowned, almost a grimace.
"The wind." he answered again.
"What wind?" Odin almost sounded exasperated that his demon never bothered to provide a lengthy explanation when asked, thus he had to ask more than once. "What singing for?" he added in impatient.
The demon stared.
"Are you bothered?" his usual flat tone.
Odin frowned to himself. Wow, that was one hell of a way to evade explaining; he thought.
"Bored?" he asked his owner back.
Odin turned his head to see the demon's face passed his shoulder; if he could say it any better, he could swear that the demon was teasing him... with a plain unfeeling face, even.
"Are you mad at me?" the man asked eventually.
He stared that man for some time, giving him the 'oh, wow; you notice?' apathetic stare.
"Why are you mad at me?" Odin sweat-dropped.
"Why did you make me take the baby?"
"Oh." the man turned facing forward again, sounding like everything turned normal again. "You don't like babies? That one seemed to like you just fine...!"
He stared at the man's back. That wasn't the point, he thought, but didn't bother to word them.
The baby cooed and squealed reaching out its small hands towards the demon's face; though they wouldn't touch it at that distant, he frowned in discomfort.
"Why don't you hold it?" he called out flatly to his owner.
"It's wet already?" Odin turned his head.
He frowned in objection. "No."
"Then there's no need to change hands." the man sum it up.
That's not the point, at all! He wanted to say out loud, but Lix's bouncing made the baby laughed, and he resigned to his task.
'acroo-rooo~croooo-croo...'
The Sauria bounced enjoying itself more, ignoring the other creatures around it.
"Why is the Lesard making even more weird sounds?" the man asked curtly.
If you're bothered, ignore it! -was his frown saying at his owner. Too bad the man didn't bother to look back.
The awaited parties of the Darque Lord and the Roude Lord as expected didn't take too long to find them in that resting house. That was the 'power' of a demon, mind you; Odin smirked in satisfaction to himself as he stood on the house porch.
The said demon only frowned in objection behind him; the baby cooed and squealed pulling at the end of his hat flaps.
"Don't; if you touch my wings you'd get cursed." he pulled the hat from the baby's hands and took it off his head, deciding he could just exposed his ear-wings to some spectators. They had already known he was a demon, anyway.
The two Lords looked disturbed as they stared at him; their soldiers whispered at each other behind them.
The baby squealed in excitement and tried to reach his feathers. He tsk-ed and spread his ear-wings so the baby couldn't reach them.
"~uwaaa..." the baby squealed in awe.
And the spectators gasped in unison.
Odin blinked and looked behind; he was going to see what each Lord had to say, but didn't expect his demon showing them his wings first before he spoke up; spread wide, even.
"He's going to attack...!" one of the soldiers said in fright; and the Darque Lady ran to the front in panic.
"NO, wait for what we have to say first!" she pleaded.
He stared at the woman, the baby jolted happily in his hands. His owner stared at the woman, and then looked back at him.
The demons that nowadays people knew had only a pair of grayish colored ear-wings, while he got three pairs of white wings with the lowest pair rooted at the adjoining part of his ears and temples. The long soft tufts at his sideburns covering his pointy ears had luminescent ends with colorful shines of mostly blue-range colors.
He must've looked grand to the people's eyes; Odin smirked proudly.
"~eee... Daa...!" the baby jolted excitedly and tried to reach the shining tufts now.
"WHY IS MY BABY CALLING THAT DEMON 'DADDY'?" the two Lords shouted together, then gasped and stared hostilely at each other when they realized it.
Oh? This should be fast, then; Odin thought at that, and walked down from the porch. The two Lords looked somewhat half-heartedly resigning to their fates and got down from their horses too.
"So we could get to the bottom of this problem now that everyone's involved is arrived...!" Odin said loudly with authoritarian tone, skipping greetings.
"My baby... please...!" The Darque Lady looked anxious being held back by the baby-maid's hands. Odin only glanced at them for a fracture of second.
"I belief you came here for a good reason?" Odin asked but his tone told everyone that he wouldn't be denied. Both the Lords fidgeted with stubborn faces but didn't object; like Odin, they too must have waited to see what the Commander had to say first.
Odin snorted.
"So, the baby's father should come forward to face the consequence of this outrageous war...!" Odin said almost flatly, he didn't have to let out a booming voice like before to make a booming effect.
Everyone gasped and a frantic murmur started like a wave behind the two Lords, while Odin only smirked evilly watching the two Lords' and the Darque Lady's faces showed different degrees of shocked and disbelief.
He almost chuckled out loud in enjoyment.
"Odin!"
That one flat voice stopped the murmur instantly; Odin's left brow twitched when the spectators' eyes now focused back to the demon behind him still standing on the porch. They must be surprised when the demon didn't call him 'master' or any kind of title alike, but only his name; his first name, even.
Odin refrained from sighing, so much for setting the mood (in this case, fear), his mind grumbled; and paused whatever he was objecting about when he saw the demon presented the baby with both arms stretched forward.
It's wet now. The demon stared him with that kind of eyes, but Odin didn't see his stare, he was staring at the baby's bundle dripping warm liquid to the porch's wooden floor.
The happy baby cooed and laughed by itself for the relief.
A strange black bird flapped its wings on the tree trunk at the front of the rest house; sounding like 'ca-cow... ca-cow~woo' several times.
. . . . . . whatever that meant in the bird's language. Odin frowned in exasperation, he wanted to face-palm but didn't let the spectators had that satisfaction.
The baby-maid reflexively moved forward with a large cloth-bag slung on her shoulder, she stopped when Odin glared deaths at her, and frightfully handed the cloth-bag to Odin's demanding hand.
"The three people who feel most responsible for this issue can come inside!" Odin said flatly annoyed when he walked into the house followed by the demon still with the dripping baby-bundle in his hands.
A surprised squeal.
A low humming sound in thinking.
A short baby-chuckle.
A tsk.
A long baby-coo.
A low complain-snort.
Another baby-chuckle.
A hostile grumble.
He stared flatly at the three pair of eyes staring at him with different grades of fear and other mixed feelings.
A silent exasperated curse and a happy baby-laughter.
He gave in to the three people sitting around the wooden table in the living room. "I'll tell him what to do...!" then he left to the kitchen sink where his owner trying to figure out how to change the baby's diaper.
"You do it...!"
He stared at Odin's annoyed but defeated frown, looking like the man was actually accusing him for the blame. He blinked.
"I don't touch babies."
"I don't think you could make one, but at some point you should now to handle them because someday you might have one, too." Odin said presenting a dry rumpled diaper cloth to his demon.
He only stared at the man lifting his chin stubbornly at his own words. What's with that reasoning suddenly coming out of nowhere in broad daylight? He wanted to point out to the man that it was him who wanted to take the baby in the first place, but decided it wouldn't help the situation.
". . . babies have protection aura against certain powers." he explained the prologue of the summary; only.
Odin's left brow pulled up from its frowning. "You'd get cursed if you touch a baby?" his intonation was skeptical.
"They get cursed. Their protection aura will be soiled and would bring misfortune to them when they get older."
Odin paused for a moment, tilted his head a little. "That's just superstition...!"
"That's what they believe. Faith made things true to some extent."
Well, if it's said that people might shun the child just because the child was touched by a demon's hands as a baby, perhaps that could be counted as misfortune. Odin arched his shoulders in uncaring gesture; then he proceeded battling the diaper cloth ignoring the baby's laughter and happy squeals finding his failing effort as a game.
He watched the man for some time, and eventually took pity for the people who were waiting for them anxiously and told the man what to do with the abused crumpled cloth.
"Oh...!" the Darque Lady stood up when Odin came to the living room with the baby in his hand; his demon tailing not too close behind. She looked like she wanted to jump Odin and claimed her baby back but refrained when she realized the demon's eyes were on her, as if knowing what ran in her mind.
The two young Lords stood up too when they saw Odin, glaring at each other while stealing glances at Odin and the baby, ignoring the demon all the same. Perhaps thinking that demon wasn't an issue when its owner hadn't made use of it as an issue. The air turned several grades heavier and the Lady finally decided she needed a seat after Odin stood by the end of the table.
"What will you do with the baby?" the Roude Lord asked fast; he looked more concerned than the Darque Lord and perhaps that's already saying something. Odin snorted.
"Sit." he ordered flatly.
"Commander,...!"
"Please be seated, and we could discuss this in a more civilized way...!" Odin growled low in a way that was far from a civilized conversation.
"So, first of all..." Odin started when the three people already seated back; "I want to know who started to attack first."
The two Lords frowned with stubborn faces looking at some places else. A heavy pause settled down and the baby ignored them, jolting in Odin's hand trying to reach the demon behind the man's back. He tried to ignore the baby for some time, but apparently it was negating his Lords-punishing-mood.
"Enough, already! That's my demon, not your fancy-toy!" Odin growled holding the baby in front of his face and glared treats at the cooing baby.
"I'm not your fancy-toy." he quipped flatly at his owner but no one gave attention to his words.
Baby knew fear not; that's what the Commander must learn before he tried to intimidate a baby; that's why most parents should teach fears to their children. Odin narrowed his eyes at the baby when it spit on his face; the Lady fidgeted when Odin growled, but then he chuckled delightfully.
"You little devil-...!" and a baby foot kicked his chin up. The demon narrowed his eyes when his owner hissed at the baby; pick someone your own size, he wanted to say but on the contrary, seeing his hardened battle-man of an owner losing his fight to some delicate creature many times smaller than his own size was something he'd never seen before; and it amused him to some extent.
The Darque Lord cleared his throat. "...Commander." he looked like he wanted to escape the uncomfortable situation with his brother and his own wife being in the open about his internal problems with a demon as a spectator too.
"What?" Odin snorted none too friendly; "No one gave the Devil enough attention before, look how energetic the imp now...!"
"...uuunghhhh...!" the Darque Lady moaned her complaint hearing how Odin called the baby. "Please give the baby back, Commander...!" she pleaded.
"Did you give birth to it?" Odin asked flatly.
The Lady widened her eyes at the sudden straight question. Odin smirked at her with an 'I thought so' stare. The Darque Lord scowled and fidgeted in discomfort, and was seemingly using all of his self-restraint to stop himself from fleeing right then and there. The only one looking calm enough between the three people was the Roude Lord; now, Odin set his eyes on him more.
"Does anyone of you know the baby's mother?" he asked flatly.
The Darque Lord snorted and stood up in irritation. "Commander, do I really need to be here when you discuss about the baby?"
"Yes; SIT!" Odin growled glaring furiously at the young Lord. By the looks of it, the Darque Lord had set his mind believing his wife cheating on him by having an affair with his brother, so he wouldn't want anyone stating it the other way.
The Roude Lord was only blinked and still frowning.
The Darque Lady was looking very anxious now that she realized every eye in that room realized her anxiousness.
"M'lady?" Odin asked.
"NO! That's my baby, I dare anyone say otherwise!" she said with do-or-die valor, looking Odin straight in the eyes.
The room fell silent for a short moment, and somehow the Darque Lord (who obviously having some lame value despite his smart looks when associated with jealousy) who'd known his wife's character after years spent together finally realized that she was hiding something not because of guilt, but because she thought it was something she'd sacrifice for.
"Ellemia...!" he called looking bewildered.
The Darque Lady flinched and stared down at the table stubbornly. "DON'T! I told you to stop this stupid war, but would anyone of you listen? NO...!" she said exasperated, fighting back upset tears.
"But... I thought you said...!" the Darque Lord stammered.
"I said...!" the Lady gritted her teeth, her tears fell down eventually, she was really hurt because her husband didn't believe in her and just jumped into conclusion without hearing her reasons first. "I said... I should thank Gods for they sent your brother to our family as a blessing; why did you suddenly decide I was having an affair with him?"
The Roude Lord arched one of his frowning brows hearing that admission; he was known as a lady-killer, but... "You're not my type." he quipped conversationally.
"Shut up!" the Lady snapped at her brother-in-law, and he pretended like he never responded to that subject anyway.
"So you've just heard that part of the story?" Odin asked the Roude Lord.
The cool-looking Lord stared Odin for awhile. "Yes, Sir."
"So what made you sent your army into this war?" Odin stared back at his half-bored looking stare. The Roude Lord stared Odin for some more time, then snorted.
"He insulted my mother!" and glared at his brother on the opposite site of the table. "Granted, my mother was sold as a slave by your barbaric people who find kidnapping girls of my people as a fortune-bringer job; so she worked in a tavern. But this Royal half-brother of mine kept insulting her as a prostitute who bought her way into his Royal father's bed with adultery...!" he barred his teeth at his brother in utter disgust. The Darque Lord grimaced and took the bait.
Odin slammed his fist onto the wooden table before another war broke in that room.
"So, whose baby is this?" he asked matter-of-factly.
The both Lords looked like suddenly being poured by a bucket of ice water; they widened their eyes and snapped their heads to the Lady.
"M'lady?" Odin urged flatly.
She gripped and loosened her fists on her dress for several times, fighting her reasons and excuses. "Friggurd's." she said in a blow of breath.
"Mine?" the Roude Lord asked incredulously.
"Stop faking it! You knew that was your baby from the beginning...!" the Darque Lord stood up and slammed his fist on the table.
"I responded to your war because your untrue insults to my mother, and knowing that baby that's supposed to be yours had my people's traits; so actually it was your wife who was doing-...!" the Roude Lord stood up and slammed his fist on the table too, but he caught himself before he said the last words; gasping and hurriedly turned his face to the Lady. "I apologize for what I was about to say!"
The Lady chuckled ironically. "It's alright, Frigg; you're a too sweet person since the first time we met. I really don't care what other people thought about me. It's what my own husband think of me, what matters...!" she swallowed her bitterness, and wiped her new falling tears from her eyes and cheeks.
She took a deep breath.
"I'm an imperfect woman, Husband. I couldn't conceive a child...! But I love you so much I'd do whatever it takes to keep you mine. As a ruler, you must have an heir to succeed your land; and the court would find another wife for you even if you wouldn't want another one, even if you would decide to not cast me away. But if she gives an heir for you, then you would eventually love her more. I don't want that, Husband." she paused and wiped her tears.
"But it's in vain. Not only losing my Husband, I even caused other families to suffer..." she chuckled in bitterness. "Commander, the one responsible for this war is me. I'll come with you to the Palace and face the consequences, please spare my baby...!" she said in resignation and stood up, then ran to the kitchen to cry her heart out.
"Wha-... wait, Ellemia...!" the Darque Lord stammered in shock, and was about to chase her but Odin's glare stopped him.
The Roude Lord had an almost similar shock on his face, as Odin's glare directed at him in turn he tried to formulate some words but failed.
"You don't even know you had a baby?" Odin asked flatly, with enough accusing tone.
The Roude Lord blinked and searched his mind in shock. "I... might have... or not; ...I'm not...really..."
Odin narrowed his eyes at that answer; well, news was that the Roude Lord had many companions, and the said person might realized it too that Odin had known that part of the news.
"You said outside, it was your baby when my demon held it." Odin stated.
"Well, the baby has my people's traits; so every baby of my people is my baby...!" he fidgeted.
"Only babies of your people? How about babies of his people?" Odin flicked his head pointing at the Darque Lord, who in turn squirmed at the question. They both silenced for several breaths span, mulling at the soft reproach.
"I..." the Roude Lord started, he reflexively thought that he had to point the discussion back to the problem at hand.
"But I have good communication with my ladies, so surely... if any of them was... they'd tell me.." he tried, beaming a little, then frowned in disapproval; "...or not...". He trailed off knowing the answer himself. He usually chose companions of the girls from his race, since he'd freed his people from slavery to be common labors, but they were usually still striving in the society and most of them opened taverns and other low-market businesses. The females of his race were picky and strong-willed, and known for their high pride; so if ever one of them conceive his child they might not tell him until she become an equal of him on her own. And the chance for such a thing could happen to her was... now that he was a Lord...
He closed his eyes and blew his breath slowly.
"I'm sorry Commander; it seems that this whole thing is my fault, after all. I'll come with you to receive my punishment. Please return that baby to my sister-in-law; that baby will need a mother." he smiled.
"Hey, wait a minute. Why are all of you suddenly deciding that on your owns? What about me? I'm a grown man, I take responsibility for my actions too...!" the Darque Lord pointed an accusing finger at his brother; his brother rolled his eyes in condescending way.
"Ha! You? Since when?"
"As if you're one to talk...!"
And Odin stared the brothers bickering with disturbed droopy-eyed frown, albeit he didn't say anything for a long time and just watching the young Lords doing not-so-mature spats. There's one thing still running in his mind and he just wouldn't be satisfied until anyone gave him the answer.
Since the mother was not the Darque Lady, and even the father of that baby didn't know which woman gave birth to that child, and seemingly the Darque Lady would take the mother's identity to her grave, probably being part of their agreement. So, whose baby is this? He asked the Fates in his mind, but the Fates somewhere not in that room didn't bother to answer.
The Darque Lady wiped her tears hastily, feeling angry at herself that she couldn't do anything right, that she was an incomplete woman which was the root of this whole mess. She blew her nose and crumpled the soaked handkerchief in her hand, but when she turned to her left she found a glass of fresh water already waiting for her on the kitchen table, together with a towel from the baby cloth-bag and a baby brush.
Reflexively she turned around and found the demon standing behind her, giving her the needed distance between them. She stared at the demon not staring her; he was staring at the glass of water without a word. She took the cue and thought she was indeed in need for a drink, and sipped the water slowly.
It was sweet.
She arched her brows a little in surprise.
...subtle sweet tasted with a touch of ginger scent and a taste of flower nectar which she couldn't really identify. The cool water calmed her and the warmth of the ginger lifted her mood a little. She smiled at the effort. Taking the towel she wetted it with some water from the pump at the kitchen sink, and used it to wash her face and then she brushed her hair a little. That wasn't much but she felt some of her spirit renewed.
She stared at the demon from the mirror above the kitchen sink. He wasn't demanding nor judging. "Thank-you..." she tried a smile at him.
"...so that's how it feels..." she spoke as if to herself, staring at the kitchen pump dripping small beads of water; "...to have someone guarding your back...".
She stared at the demon through the mirror again. "Your Commander must feel safe having you behind him most of the time..." she gave a sad smile. The demon only blinked, as if he didn't understand that she was implying her praise and gratitude; she let it passed.
"There's something occurred to me when I saw you holding my baby the second time on the porch outside..." she started, looking at her hands. Turning around slowly, she walked towards the demon and took his right hand in both her hands.
The demon stared down at their hands and stared back at her face. "I didn't touch your baby with my hands." he said stoically.
She smiled. "I know..."; and reached out her right hand to brush his cheek.
The demon reflexively took a step back avoiding her touch. She looked saddened. He blinked.
"There's something occurred to me seeing you closer..." she repeated; "That when humans abhorred demons' touch, perhaps you resent ours too."
He blinked at her. She searched his face for a moment and gently let his hand go. "You must be living a hard life, Mr. Demon..." she nodded to him and walked back to the living room.
He stared at the Lady from the end of his eyes; when she got into the living room, he looked down at his right hand with palm open.
Her scent still wafted from where she touched it.
A slow lick from the base of the palm to the end of middle finger.
His hunger responded to the teasing.
He growled low savoring that feeling.
Humans often had misconception with his species, thinking that they were tricksters who love to plot treasons when they're actually loyal creatures with unwavering faiths; or as swindlers who would devour human's hearts or souls when their heart weakened. They said a demon would hunt a troubled human in their weakest time... how very absurd; even humans wouldn't eat a sickly and almost-rotten bony chicken for food, they'd rather have a fat healthy chicken when it was fresh killed.
There was no one more high-spirited and steadfast than Odin in the Palace, the man's resistant to demons was even one of a kind; Odin could survive him fine without so much of a side effect even after living with him for years.
"I don't understand what you implied..." he closed his eyes and licked his palm a little more; "...that man is my food, human-female...!"
A shiver wrecked his body for several seconds; he opened his eyes slowly and quenched his hunger down. No need to continue teasing it for now; when the humans had gone he could have his ransom soon.
His wings twitched in anticipation.
His lips pulled in a ghost of a smile for a moment.
Saru's note:
museum's project hasn't started... used the time for writing a little. he he he
thanx for reading