He sat up and crawled out of bed, stretching and blinking when strands of his hair hung just a little in front of his eyes in an unfamiliar way. Just like he'd promised Günter, he was growing his hair out. It wasn't quite long enough yet to put in a tiny ponytail at the back of his head, but it would get there.
By sheer will, he had managed to corner his uncle into telling him what his duties would be once he got settled and had been unsurprised to learn at the moment that it was just paperwork. Sure, there was some strife with the human territories that were on their borders, but nothing that, so far, constituted any display of force.
Dressing in his new, green uniform didn't take long. It was a bit stiff, but with some more wear, it would work itself out. The boots came on next and he was finally ready, leaving his bedroom and ready to find out where he would have his office.
Breakfast was a simple, buffet style sort of affair. He scanned the faces around him, but noticed none that he recognized at first hand. His mother and uncle were nowhere to be found and oddly enough, he didn't see Günter. He figured that he would be the first one the younger boy would clutch to. As seen the night before when they'd arrived, Günter was nervous in new places he'd never been to before.
He'd already finished his breakfast and was down the halls again, searching for someone who could tell him where his new office would be, when he heard it. It amazed him, as it had been nearly an hour and a half since he had first woken up.
"GWENDAL!"
Günter came tearing around the corner and flung himself at the bigger boy, latching onto his arm tightly. While not something Günter had done before, Gwendal still wasn't all that surprised. He had realized early on in their friendship that Günter had let him see a side of him that he'd dare not show to anyone else. Or perhaps, been afraid to show anyone else.
"Günter, where have you been?"
"I got lost!" he wailed, looking distinctly upset about it. "I was looking for you ever since I woke up, but every corner I turned looked just like the last one and I got lost!"
"How long have you been up?"
"Three hours."
Gwendal's eyes widened a little. Up for three hours and Günter's Gwendal-tracking had failed him? That was a first. In the Academy, it didn't matter where Gwendal was, Günter could find him and get to him in less than twenty minutes. Maybe for someone who had never set foot in Blood Pledge Castle could find it big and confusing.
"Come on, let's find our offices and get to work."
"Okay."
Günter let go of his arm quickly, as if Gwendal had yelled at him to. In truth, Gwendal was hoping that being at the castle would allow Günter to spread his wings a little. He'd always acted so trapped in the Academy and halfway fearful no matter where he went. Every time someone spoke to him, Gwendal had noticed an aborted flinch, as if he feared that everyone was out to get him.
"Gwendal! Gwendal, welcome back!"
His lips twitched at Anissina's bright voice and he didn't have long to wait, as she came barreling toward the two at speeds that he was sure shouldn't be allowed to have with two legs. She skidded to a stop and grinned so widely, he knew that he was in for quite a bit of torture that his absence at the castle had denied her.
"I have piles of things that I'm just dying to have you help me test!"
"I'm sure you do," he answered dryly and turned to Günter, only to find his friend staring fixedly at the ground, as if he did so that everyone would ignore him. Frowning, he reached over and forced Günter's head up to look at his childhood friend. Günter's eyes were wide and he gave a little squeak in surprise. "This is Günter von Kleist, a friend from school."
Anissina glanced between the two, a question in her ruby eyes. "Good to meet you, Günter. My name is Anissina von Khrennikov. I've been Gwendal's best friend and torturer since we were children."
She held out her hand and though Gwendal was silently tempted to dryly snipe she might eat him, Günter hesitantly reached out to shake her hand. "Good to meet you, Anissina," he muttered, a tad shyly. Apparently, it was going to take a few years for Günter to get used to the fact that not everybody was going to be terribly cruel to him.
Günter had a great deal of potential in him to be a diplomat, a skill Gwendal lacked, but it would get him nowhere if Günter was terrified of everyone around him with the exception of Gwendal. It was a subject of curiosity to him that Günter had even approached him and stuck so close to him. He had no idea how Günter had even noticed him, since he was always so busy staring at the floor and trying to be invisible.
"By the way, Gwendal, your uncle was looking for you."
"Probably about our duties. Come on, Günter."
He was already tugging Günter after her when Anissina called behind him that he wouldn't be getting away the rest of the day. He winced, knowing that eventually she would be dragging him kicking and screaming into her room of torture for the sake of "science".
He hoped he'd come back alive.
Günter had collapsed on the sofa in Gwendal's office just as the sun dipped down below the horizon after the first day. "I'm so tired, Gwendal."
Gwendal finished signing the last of the papers and set them aside, standing and stretching. Finally, he took the time to study his friend. He had become lankier since the first time they'd met and he honestly looked very good in white, unlike the off gray they'd been forced to wear as uniforms at the Academy. Where he'd found the cloak that he was currently wearing, Gwendal didn't know, but it seemed too big for him and made him seem smaller than he knew Günter was.
"Considering you were running down the halls for three hours looking for me this morning, I'm not surprised."
Lavender eyes cracked open and he shifted a little on the sofa to look at the bigger boy. His eyes seemed to scrutinize every inch of him and he commented, "You really are letting it grow, aren't you?"
Gwendal frowned when it sounded like Günter hadn't believed he'd do it. "Of course. I told you I would."
Günter sat up and touched his own hair, a forlorn look on his face. In the past two months since it had been slashed off before graduation, it had managed to grow a few centimeters, but it was nowhere near fast enough for his friend. He had suggested Günter go home first before coming to Blood Pledge Castle, but Günter had refused to go see his parents until his hair had grown back.
"Günter."
"What?"
"Why did you decide to pick me as your friend?"
His friend looked surprised at the question and answered without thinking, "There was never any other choice. You beat me in fencing and after that, I kept watching you. The more I watched you, the more you became…my role model, I guess. I admired you and respected you. And when I thought that I knew enough about you that I could, I decided to finally talk to you." He chuckled. "I was watching you for two weeks before I approached you."
So it had been Günter that had given him the feeling he'd been watched. Not surprising. He should have suspected it, but he hadn't. His eyebrow rose and closed the curtains for the windows. "Come on, I'll show you where my room is so you don't get lost when you want to find me tomorrow morning."
Günter lit up brightly and bounced up with an energy that belied his complaint only moments before about him being tired. "Wonderful!"
This was how it was for several weeks. The longer that Günter stayed in the Castle, the more confident he grew in his surroundings. Gwendal watched, as Günter no longer stared at the floor as he walked. He smiled to someone other than Gwendal, which gave the boy mixed feelings. He was happy that Günter was becoming more comfortable, but he somewhat missed it, being the only one that Günter talked and smiled to.
His mother adored Günter and Anissina enjoyed dragging the boy for her experiments when she couldn't get a hold of Gwendal. Günter was blooming even more under the attention he received for his ideas and his prowess. He had ended up even teaching some of the older soldiers in the army a few things.
And he was never far from Gwendal's side for all that, as if he still desired the bigger boy's protection.
But Gwendal knew things weren't going to last much longer. He'd had increasing reports on his desk that stated the contention with the human territories bordering Shin Makoku was rising. In fact, they'd even gone so far as to encroach upon the Mazoku's territory, claiming it was part of their grazing land.
His mother had tried to have it resolved peacefully, but as of that morning, it had turned into a hostile situation. Gwendal frowned as he buckled on his sword and green jacket. He was being sent to the front, to take over command. There were older men in command that didn't take well to that, that he would be giving the orders, but both his uncle and mother agreed that he had the brightest mind for strategy, since he was not rooted in old ways.
He glanced down the hall where he knew Günter was sleeping. It wasn't even sun up yet, but he dared not wait. Günter would never let him leave and he couldn't bring his friend into battle unless ordered to. He didn't think Günter would listen to reason. He didn't think that Günter would realize that if something happened to Gwendal's force, it would be up to Günter to come in after and take over.
He'd left a note with Anissina to give to Günter and hoped that things wouldn't end up too badly.
The front was a mess when he reached it by the time afternoon was well underway. He hadn't thought the human force would be so great. In fact, in the reports he'd had, it had specifically said it was a small force, barely fifty to a hundred people. He frowned as his troops rushed in to bolster the flagging strength of their warriors already there. This was twice the amount that had been reported.
Had they reinforcements suddenly or had they a spy that lied?
He shouted out orders and ended up getting some semblance of control enough to force a stalemate so both sides would draw back to lick their wounds for a bit. Gwendal slid off his horse and handed the reins to a nearby soldier, looking for any of the commanders of the retinues that had been sent.
Out of four, there remained two and he dragged them to convene in one of the biggest tents.
"I was told that this was nothing more than a straggly rebel group and I see that we have a decent sized force against us. So what's going on?"
One the oldest men, with his arm in a sling and bandages wrapping his forehead, muttered, "That's what we were told too. When we got here, at first that was what we had. Then, out of nowhere, their allies showed up, and they became triple their numbers. We were overwhelmed almost instantly. We weren't prepared for any real amount."
"Do we know if they have any more allies around?" Gwendal snapped, opening the map on the table and studying the surrounding area of possible ambushes.
"Far as our scouts can tell, if they move even a little south, they'll basically get us in a pincher movement. We won't have any retreat available."
"That's not available anyway," he replied and tapped a finger against the map. "We are to stay here and deal with this threat. There is no retreat. Those are our orders."
"Cheri-sama…said that…?"
"No, it was Stoffel von Spitzberg." There was a suspicious silence and Gwendal looked up to see skeptical looks being exchanged. He frowned. "Listen to me. Regardless of what the order is, Stoffel von Spitzberg is still above us and therefore, our commander. We will obey our orders." Satisfied that the matter was settled, seeing the chastened expressions, he returned back to the matter at hand. "Now, this is what we will do…"
Three hours later, Gwendal was trying to keep himself from flittering away while he waited for battle to commence. He wished he'd had the opportunity to bring his knitting, but that was hardly an option. The layers of blank parchment sat staring at him and he thought that he could write Günter a letter, but then reasoned that he'd never get the chance to send it.
As if to mock him for his thoughts, there was a shout and he sped out of his tent to engage in one of the longest battles of his life. It was the first time he'd been in real combat and it was entirely different than fencing in school. It was hard and fast paced, demanding and terrifying. He hoped he could finish this before the required five days was up and Günter's reinforcements would be sent. He didn't want Günter to get involved in something like this.
Günter in his pristine white clothes.
Günter with his innocent smile.
Günter with his gentle grace and not-so-quiet-anymore voice.
Günter with his sparkling, pretty lavender eyes.
While his mind was consumed by thoughts of his friend, their troops already finished off the first wave of the humans' attack. He wiped sweat off his brow as he panted in exhaustion, resting for a few moments before combat would resume. He hadn't been able to use any of his magic otherwise it would have gotten his own men involved, but if they backed off now, he might be able to erect a barrier of earth and turn the ground beneath their feet against their enemies.
Which is exactly what he did.
By the time the fifth day had arrived of their battle, Gwendal could see that his troops were beyond even the beleaguered stages. They needed reinforcements or nobody would be making it back. The messages he got daily from the Castle kept him at least somewhat hopeful, as their enemy hadn't allied itself with any other human country just yet. If they could finish it before it got to be a full-fledged war, then they wouldn't have to worry about allies.
It took a bit for Gwendal to get out of bed that morning, as his ribs hurt from a painful cut he'd received two days ago and he would have a few scars by the time it was over. Like usual, the remaining commanders, down to one, came to convene in his tent and Gwendal blinked tired eyes.
"We've decimated them as they wiped us out too. If we had more men, this would be a cinch now. Our spies have told us that there are no more hidden allies in any of the surrounding areas."
"That doesn't mean they still don't allies," Gwendal contradicted as he studied the map he had long since already memorized in the past five days that seemed to stretch into eternity.
"Even if they do, it'll take more than a day for them to get here. If we can finish this today, it'll be fully over. That is, if we don't end up on the evening plate instead."
"You don't need to worry about that. There are reinforcements coming."
"What?!"
Gwendal sighed and rubbed his forehead. "The plan devised by our superiors had me bring my own contingent here to fight. If it couldn't be settled in five days, reinforcements would be sent to bolster or finish up what we couldn't. They should be here sometime this afternoon, I would think."
He had done his damndest to stop the fighting before the five days were done with, but there was only so much he could do with what he had to work with. He didn't have that many men and what he did have were already exhausted long before he'd even arrived.
"Thank Shinou! We're saved!"
I wouldn't be thanking anyone just yet, Gwendal thought. We need to survive until the afternoon.
It was barely past sun up when the humans launched their first and final attack of the day. Gwendal's arm felt like lead from a previous injury and he wished that they'd foreseen this enough to bring a healer with them. Apparently the remaining enemies still had a greater amount of men, as what little was left of the mazoku became surrounded.
He could see nothing beyond the person in front of him that he was cutting down. He only peripherally noticed when he wasn't alone and someone was fighting back to back with him. Whoever it was, knew his every move. When he would thrust or dodge, a sword would protect the vulnerable side he left open for a few seconds. Somehow, it almost seemed like a deadly dance that his subconscious was doing. Before he knew it, he had come to rely on the sword and person to guard his sides and flank.
Time seemed to stretch like an eternity and Gwendal saw more blood than he had in the previous five days combined. His mind couldn't think past the order of his brain for upward stroke, or back stab with his knife, or a knee to the gut. It was all simple movements, taking it one step by step.
It wasn't until arms went around his torso from behind and held his arms still that he realized there were no more enemies to fight. His uniform was in tatters and he was exhausted, until he was dripping with sweat. He glanced down at the hands he could see and by the white he could see on the arms, he knew who it was.
Even without that, who else would hug him?
"Günter."
"You didn't even say goodbye," Günter muttered, his voice sounding suspiciously heavy with an impending cry.
Gwendal didn't have the energy to say anything. In fact, his legs gave out beneath him and he collapsed backwards. Vaguely, just before his mind gave out, he recognized a faint squeak of surprise when Günter caught him and he remembered he hadn't been getting much sleep lately.
When he woke up next, it was in a soft bed, one that he faintly recognized as his own. It took a moment for his eyes to focus and he realized that the little light in the room was coming from the closed blinds. There was something next to him and he looked down to see Günter napping at his side on the bed, curled up in that same tiny ball he'd been in the day he'd come to his doom room after he'd been attacked.
He slowly sat up, wincing and realizing there were bandages that covered almost his whole chest. He hadn't noticed he'd been so badly injured. Günter looked exhausted and his cloak that he'd become so fond of was draped over a chair that had been pulled up too close next to the bed. When had he been brought back to Blood Pledge Castle? How long had he been asleep?
Günter shifted and he reached down to touch the short strands of hair. Like he had secretly suspected, Günter was a light sleeper and the faint touch woke him almost instantly. When he saw Gwendal was awake, his lavender eyes became huge and teary. Oh dear…
"Günter."
"I hate you!" Günter spat, sitting up and crying, wrapping his arms tightly around Gwendal's neck. It appeared as though, seeing the wrinkles, that Günter hadn't even left his side long enough to change. "You left without even saying goodbye! Do you know what that did to me?! You jerk! I hate you…I hate you…"
His words had petered off into sobs and made Gwendal feel incredibly guilty. Though it hurt to move his arms, he lifted one and wrapped it around Günter's waist. "I'm sorry. I thought if I told you I was leaving, you'd try to stop me from going."
"Of course I would!" Günter snapped back and lavender eyes glared up at him. Gwendal couldn't help but notice the timid attitude his friend had once had at school no longer seemed to be there at all. "I want to go wherever you go, Gwendal! I'll follow you everywhere!"
"Uh…" A faint blush touched Gwendal's cheeks, as no one had ever had such conviction when it came to being around the older boy. "I'm happy we're such close friends, but it was an order. You had to remain behind in case—"
"Idiot! I don't think of you as a friend!" Lips touched his and he grunted as he was pushed back onto his back. "I want to follow you because I love you!"
Definitely not timid anymore, Gwendal decided and wondered if it was his influence or if Günter had just been this way from the beginning and had just hidden it. "You do realize that I'm an injured person here, right?"
"That's the only reason I haven't done anything to you yet!" Günter snapped, but his eyes were still watery and hurt that he'd been left behind without so much as a goodbye. "I know why you did it, Gwendal, but it still hurts. You didn't even say goodbye. You didn't send me anything, not a single letter. Nothing. It was like I didn't even matter anymore!"
"Günter, I figured you'd be fine. I'm not the only one around you now. Nobody's picking on you now."
"It's not the same! You'll always be special to me!"
Some part of Gwendal was happy, as he had been a bit put out that it had seemed like other people had taken Günter away from him. He smiled a little, the first that Günter had no doubt ever seen.
"Gwendal?"
"What?"
"Well?"
"Well what?"
Günter blushed and muttered, a bit shyly, "I just confessed to you, you're supposed to reply."
"Says who?"
"Says the books."
Gwendal couldn't help a chuckle. Like everything else, Günter depended on the books to teach him. It never seemed to occur to the boy that the book could be wrong. "Get off me and I'll tell you."
A bit skeptically, Günter perched on the edge of the bed and waited. Gwendal reached up a hand and gently tugged the boy down until their lips were almost touching. He smiled a little more and murmured, "I love you too."
"Gwendal?"
Gwendal grunted as Günter slid into bed next to him, his faint purple hair looking silver in the moonlight. A hand touched his shoulder and his eyes tiredly pried open to look at his lover with faint curiosity. "What is it?"
"Heika came to find me today and ask about our hair."
"Why?"
"I don't know, but it made me remember. You really did go through on your promise."
Gwendal stared at the serene and beautiful smile on Günter's lips. He was the only one who ever saw this side of the advisor. "Once I give my word, I never back out of it."
"Do you remember my confession?"
"How can I forget? You almost jumped an fatally wounded boy." He watched with amusement, as it never failed to bring about a blush to his lover's cheeks when he thought about it. "But that's just you, so it doesn't matter. Now get in bed and let's sleep. I've had a long day."
Günter just slid quietly down and cuddled against the bigger mass that was Gwendal. "You know," he said sleepily, "you're still like a mountain, but much warmer."
"Go to sleep."
"…Okay."
End