Wolfram told him that a funeral, in accordance with the rites of the Element religion, consists of two parts. First, a water ritual is performed, asking the patron to take proper care of the deceased's soul and guide it to a better life, and then an earth ritual, where the deceased's body is returned to the patron. He also told him to just stand beside him and not speak.
That's why Yuuri stayed close to Wolfram, who wore a formal uniform with silver embellishments and with a much more lavish sword scabbard than the one he usually wore. He listened to the priest's words spoken in an unfamiliar language, and from time to time, he shuddered slightly, feeling the chill air in the stone temple. It was simple, with six high walls and a half-open dome. The most eye-catching feature was something like a fountain pool in the middle of the floor, in front of which was a wooden altar with stone bowls standing on it. The water was dark blue and murky, and Yuuri was almost certain he had seen something being poured into it at first.
The ritual performed by the priest did not last long, and before he noticed, they were already out the door, climbing up the slope of a low hill shrouded in the forest until they reached the very top where the cemetery was located. High mounds, compacted and with erected stone slabs in the legs with engraved names, stood in even rows, close together so that it was difficult to walk between them. Therefore, the procession carrying the coffin had to walk around while the rest of the mourners carefully squeezed their way into the deep pit. Only Wolfram's subordinates showed up at the funeral, as Eckbert no longer had any family. No one spoke, and everyone stood stiffly as if they were at a military convocation.
The coffin was placed in the grave, and the priest performed his ritual over the stone bowl, then threw its content into the pit. He nodded, and the soldiers began to bury the grave, pushing the pile of earth lying on its side, where there were no other mounds yet, into the center, then clapping it down and placing the stone tablet.
The priest had gone somewhere in the meantime, but no one continued to speak, even after the grave was ready. Yuuri glanced stealthily at Wolfram, who was staring into space and shifted from foot to foot. He didn't want to disturb anything, so he just waited.
Finally, Wolfram moved. He picked up a bit of earth from the mound, held it in his hands for a moment, and put it down again.
"Let's go back," he said, turning and walking out from between the graves, and the others followed him, continuing in silence.
Only when they were somewhere halfway down the hill could it be seen that the atmosphere had relaxed. Some people sighed as if all the tension had finally left them, stretched, and began to exchange short sentences among themselves.
"It was a fairly simple ceremony," Yuuri said, figuring he could speak up now.
"All of our ceremonies are like that. However, nothing is imposed from above, and everyone can add something from themselves. So some people hold funerals like this, and others hold an all-day wake. Whatever one prefers."
"Hmm, so everyone can do their own traditions as they like."
"Yes. Every town and sometimes even every family has its own way of celebrating the holidays."
"Yours too?"
Wolfram crossed his arms over his chest and smiled at him.
"If you come to our harvest festival, you'll see."
Yuuri nodded. Last year he had only attended the festival in his capital city, but Wolfram told him that it was taking place in Bielefelady in a completely different week, so he could easily be both here and here.
Of course, Gunter immediately started planning to hold a festival at his place on another date as well, so it looked like he was going to keep autumn busy with fun. Which he didn't think was a bad thing.
They walked down the hill, where the horses of Wolfram's soldiers and the carriage they had arrived in were waiting by the road. So they boarded it and returned to the residence where they were staying. Yuuri immediately settled down at the window, still unable to take in this place's sights.
Wolfram called it Lavender Hills and said it was a popular place among retired soldiers to spend the rest of their days here. Yuuri wasn't surprised by them, and he himself began to contemplate that in his old age, he too would like to live in a hut on one such hill and go out on the veranda every morning and watch the sprawling hills covered with fragrant flowers. Mainly lavender, which was being harvested right now and whose fragrance reached him from everywhere.
The residence belonging to the Bielefelds stood on one of the highest hills and was the only stone building in the area, although, by the fact that it was almost all overgrown with ivy, it didn't stand out too much.
Conrad was already waiting outside the entrance when their carriage pulled up. Yuuri stepped out first and, again feeling like acting like a gentleman, offered his hand to Wolfram. He stared at him for a long minute, making Yuuri worried for a moment that he would ignore him and leave on his own, but eventually, he grabbed his hand and let him help himself out. However, he still let him go right away once he was on the ground. Conrad approached them, as did three of Wolfram's soldiers, while the rest went to lead the horses away.
"Are you all right?" Conrad asked as they headed for the residence door.
"Everything went without a problem." Yuuri took a breath as they went inside and finally felt the chill. The rains stopped when they were somewhere in the middle of their journey, and the heat came again soon after.
Conrad nodded and turned to Wolfram.
"Otwin wanted you to continue your lessons right away when you returned."
"He may want to," he snorted, putting his arms across his chest. "I have no intention of spending every free hour with him. We're going to go check out the field."
"The field?" Yuuri asked with interest, and Wolfram smiled slyly.
"I told you I was going to have my own team. We've already started preparing a place where they can practice."
"I didn't expect you to take it so seriously. But wait a minute, I'll go with you. I'm curious to see how you're doing."
He ran quickly to their shared bedroom to change into more casual clothes, which at first glance differed little from the formal ones - they were still all black but without unnecessary ornamentation. While he was at it, Wolfram entered the room and began to change, forgoing the uniform and putting on short pants and a blouse with slightly buff sleeves tapered at the wrists. Everything was in shades of gray, and Yuuri thought it matched his own clothing, especially since Wolfram's outfit had minimal extra ornamentation. Perhaps this meant that he was going to take part in the exercises?
They went out into the corridor, and as their guards joined them, Yuuri involuntarily turned his attention to the new soldier who had started walking behind Wolfram. In addition to his standard uniform, he wore a gray cloak with a hood draped over his head, making it impossible to see his face. He didn't like this, but Wolfram didn't seem to care. He said he was a tracker and would do well as his adjutant.
The second thing he didn't like about the man was how much attention Wolfram gave him. Yuuri had the impression that he talked to this subordinate more than he spoke to him during their travels, yet he was his boyfriend here. In addition, the prince didn't hide his excitement, inquiring about such things as stealth techniques as if it was some interesting unknown topic. Since this is someone whose role is to observe from the shadows, Wolfram should leave him alone and let him stay in the shadows. If he drags him out into the spotlight like this, he will be of no use to them.
And the man in the cloak - Derwen or something like that - didn't seem to care at all that his commander was bothering him. On the contrary, he sounded happy every time. That's why Yuuri preferred to keep an eye on him whenever there was any interaction between the two.
Fortunately, they took the carriage again, so at least he had Wolfram all to himself for the duration of the trip.
"Did you ask Conrad about how to prepare the field?" he asked once they were alone, not letting on that anything had taken over him.
"Yes. He wrote down everything I needed, and I sent it to my people to take care of it."
"Ah, so you have no intention of doing anything yourself?"
"Of course." Wolfram smiled and leaned back against the seat back. "Conrad said that the club owner's main role is to finance everything, and the rest will be taken care of by his people. I even like it in this form."
"Still, it would be useful to keep an eye on what these people are doing."
"They are my subordinates, so there won't be a problem with that. They're complaining that they're bored anyway, so they'll keep themselves busy now."
"Wait, you're going to use your own soldiers?" Yuuri imagined Wolfram's subordinates, usually as sleek and polished as he is, running around the field, and his imagination sadly failed him.
"Not the ones I have with me. I have some low-born people who are stationed in Bielefeld."
"Ehh, the ones you mentioned earlier?"
Wolfram nodded and looked out the window.
"Today, we won't be training yet, but they should start tomorrow. So if you want, you can join them."
"I'll skip the fact that you want to use me to teach them, but I'd be happy to. It will be good training before my match."
"When exactly are you returning to Earth?"
"In ten days. And not I am coming back. You're coming with me."
He didn't protest, and Yuuri took that as a lack of opposition.
Checking out the field turned out to be just a glimpse of it from above. It was located in a valley behind the city, surrounded by fragrant fields of lavender and some still-green herbs. With short-cut grass that was visibly scorched in some places, forming lines and bases. It was hard to see the boundary between infield and outfield, but everything looked neatly done; the surface was level, and there were even benches prepared in the shadows of the trees growing outside the field. So he nodded in approval.
"So you're saying you start training tomorrow?" he asked, feeling an urge at the sight of the field to just run onto it and start playing. He will look forward to tomorrow with excitement.
He turned and looked at Wolfram when the latter didn't answer him, fearing that his attention had once again shifted to this new guy, but it turned out that his boyfriend was merely looking at him with a satisfied expression on his face.
"What's the matter?" he asked suspiciously.
"Nothing." Wolfram's smile widened. "We still have some free time until the evening. Would you like to see the city?"
"Sure," he answered immediately. He could already see it from afar, the low buildings overgrown with ivy up to the roof, and he felt like exploring it.
So they returned to the carriage and got off at a small market in the middle of town, which was quite crowded. Yuuri guessed that such weather and the area attracted a mass of tourists.
Wolfram again let him help himself out of the carriage and even grabbed him under the arm, after which they started walking between the stalls. He wasn't wearing any disguise, and Wolfram mentioned that he was quite famous in the area, so they attracted a lot of attention. Fortunately, no one bowed to them, but all the people they passed greeted them, smiling sympathetically, and the vendors were exceptionally nice, often offering them free samples of their products.
That's how they ended up with a bunch of fresh fruit and purple candies, probably lavender. Plus some cheese and herbs wrapped in pieces of cloth. Wolfram spent a longer time at the tea stall, from which a pleasant herbal scent came.
The market was bustling, and happy music was coming from somewhere. They passed several taverns filled with patrons laughing over large mugs of beer. He liked the atmosphere, peaceful and joyful. Seeing this, he felt a sense of satisfaction, knowing he was doing a good job as king.
Wolfram pulled into something resembling a café, where - judging by the fact that the waitress immediately led them to a table on the balcony overlooking the market and didn't ask them about their order - he was already a regular.
They were brought cups, a pot of black tea, and a platter with a large selection of cakes and spent the time until sunset in calm conversation. Wolfram told him about the area and how his uncle often took him here on vacation.
And then they returned to their residence, had dinner together in their bedroom, and Yuuri sat on the couch, sipping hot herbal tea and watching Wolfram write something at his desk.
"What is it you do?" he asked lazily, more to say anything than out of curiosity.
"Write reports," Wolfram replied briefly, without lifting his gaze from above the sheet of paper.
"Now? Don't you have better things to do?"
Wolfram looked at him, and a cocky smile appeared on his face, causing Yuuri to blush slightly. Of course, he liked it when his boyfriend smiled like that, but on the other hand, there seemed to be a subtext behind it.
"Really? And what could I be doing?" He put down his pen and turned his whole body toward him. He put his elbow on the desk, resting his head on his hand, and put one leg over the other, his smile now becoming definitely playful.
Yuuri swallowed his saliva loudly. Wolfram was still wearing his short pants, and most of his legs were now bare, and he was in no way able to look away.
"Well," he said uncertainly as his thoughts started heading into dangerous territory. He desperately tried to summon his confidence from that pleasant evening, but when Wolfram acted like this, it wasn't so easy. He handled him better when he was embarrassed, so the only thing he could probably do was to get him into that state again.
He stood up and walked over to Wolfram, placing his hand on the back of his chair and leaning over him slightly.
"After our date, I was hoping for something more than watching and waiting for you to finish writing your reports."
Wolfram straightened up, looked away for a second, and then looked him straight in the eye. Yuuri noticed this moment of hesitation and smiled contentedly. He leaned lower and kissed him, grabbing his hand simultaneously. Then he pulled away, not overlooking the slight blush on his cheeks, and pulled him toward the couch, seating him on his lap.
The brief uncertainty on Wolfram's face testified that he had succeeded in getting what he wanted. And, of course, he now had the perfect opportunity to grab him by the thighs, which he did not hesitate to do.
Wolfram flinched slightly and looked down when Yuuri's hands touched his bare skin, massaging the inside of his thighs with his thumbs. His skin was pleasant to the touch, soft and warm, and it could be felt the muscles twitching slightly each time Yuuri's fingers moved closer up his legs.
"You're pushy," Wolfram whispered, but it sounded like he was trying to say something just to hold back a sigh; then he wrapped his arms around Yuuri's neck, pulling him close and kissing.
Surprisingly passionately, which Yuuri took with pleasant surprise, and when they pulled away from each other, it was now up to him to smile cockily.
"Just don't tell me you've been practicing," he joked, and when Wolfram looked at him uncomprehendingly, this time it was he who kissed him, at the same time moving his hands up his thighs and slipping under the shorts' legs. He was rewarded with a quiet sigh muffled by his lips.
He had several perfect opportunities to slip his tongue through the slightly parted lips and was beginning to seriously consider it when a knock on the door sounded.
Wolfram quickly jumped away from it and looked frightened toward the door, but fortunately, it didn't occur to anyone to go inside. Yuuri squeezed his thighs one last time and let him get up from his knees before shouting "Come in" toward the door.
They swung open slightly, and a soldier wearing a hood over his head looked inside. Yuuri did not fail to look at him with as much aversion as he could muster.
"Something happened?" asked Wolfram, getting up from the couch and fixing his blouse.
"Someone suspicious was loitering in the area, so I wanted to check to make sure everything was okay."
"Someone suspicious? On the grounds of the residence? What did he look like?" Wolfram began to inquire and was about to circle the couch and head to Derwen, but Yuuri caught him by the arm.
"He was seen in the gardens. Some kind of hooded figure."
"So far, the only suspicious hooded figure here is you," Yuuri muttered under his breath, and Wolfram kicked him in the ankle.
"The whole squad should still be on duty, so send them on patrol around the area."
"I already did," came Arwin's voice from the hallway. He sounded slightly annoyed, and Yuuri smiled with satisfaction, knowing that this newcomer was upsetting not only him.
"Alright," Wolfram sighed and plopped down on the couch next to Yuuri. "That's all?"
Derwen looked at Yuuri and then at Wolfram again, after which he nodded and retreated, closing the door behind him.
"What was that supposed to be?" asked Wolfram with annoyance.
"What do you mean?" Yuuri looked away, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Why are you jumping on him like that?"
"I'm not jumping on him. I just don't like the fact that he walks around in that cape. Isn't it somehow forbidden to wear such things on a uniform?"
"And how would wearing a cloak be forbidden?" Wolfram rolled his eyes. "Besides, I don't know if you've noticed, but our uniforms are quite eye-catching."
"And that's good. At least you can be found that way."
"And how does this feature seem to help him in his work? He's a tracker; he can't be found."
Yuuri muttered something to himself and moved closer to Wolfram, embracing him around the waist and burying his face in his chest.
"I just don't like the way you treat him. Like he's so great."
Wolfram sighed and began stroking his head.
"Maybe I'm a little excited that he reminds me of a certain character in the books, but you shouldn't take it out on him for that. Don't forget that you're a king, and such things have a completely different undertone."
"Seriously? It's just because he reminds you of someone from the books?" Yuuri raised his head and looked at him.
"Wouldn't you be excited if you had such a fun subordinate?" His eyes shone, and Yuuri felt annoyed again.
"You have a demon king as a boyfriend. Isn't that cool?"
"Well, I don't know. Being a king doesn't sound very cool. You only sit on a throne and write something in papers all day," he said in a not-very serious tone with a smile creeping on his lips.
"Hmm? Are you suggesting that I'm boring?" Yuuri had risen fully and was now looking down at Wolfram.
"I'm not saying anything of the sort. Only your work is boring."
"Are you saying?" He grabbed Wolfram's arm and pushed him to the side, making him lie down on the couch, then settled over him, placing both hands on the sides of his head.
"What are you doing?" Wolfram placed his hands on Yuuri's chest and looked at him uncertainly.
"Since you're complaining so much about boredom, I'll provide you with some entertainment." He leaned down and resumed what had been interrupted earlier.
Yuuri took a critical look at the bat, swinging it several times and weighing it in his hands. There were clear markings on it indicating that it had been forged with a knife, but for an amateur league, it was adequate.
He stood at the edge of the field, surrounded by a narrow line of trees, and behind them, a field of lavender on one side and low green stalks that smelled like ginger on the other. Wolfram was sitting on a bench hidden in the shade, along with Arwin, leaning against a tree trunk behind him. Conrad was on the other side of the field, explaining the rules to several men who had arrived first.
"Sorry you have to spend your free time here," he said to Helgard, who was standing next to him, feeling slightly guilty. The rest of Wolfram's squad was given three days off so they could go visit their families.
"My wife lives in the area, so it doesn't bother me." Helgard smiled casually, and Yuuri eyed him more carefully. So, that means one less person to worry about. Good. "Besides, those here can be a bit unruly, so it's better if someone experienced keeps an eye on them."
"Unruly? You talk about them like a bunch of kindergarteners."
"In some cases, it's easier to deal with kindergarteners." Helgard sighed, and his gaze wandered to the path leading to the field. It stretched between the hills toward the city, and more people were already walking along it toward them.
"That will already be ten people. Although I'm not sure if we should count that one as two," he said, half in jest and half with confusion. The man who had just approached Conrad was so big that he could easily pass for a giant. In addition, his clothes had fur insertions, despite the fact that it was still hot. Combined with his long blond hair, the image of a certain Nordic warrior came to Yuuri's mind. The only thing missing was a beard. "Is this really your man?" he asked Helagrid, who nodded.
"Wolfram had already yelled at him decently and made him promise to behave, so I hope he won't cause any problems."
Yuuri leaned on his bat and looked toward Wolfram, squinting his eyes. First, that scout, and now the Viking. Who else does he have in this collection of his? Was he gathering a team to go on an adventure, or what?
Loud laughter drew Yuuri's attention back toward the giant. He propped himself up by his sides, answering something to Conrad with glee, then raised his hand, intending to pat him on the back, but refrained at the last moment. With hands like that, he's sure to kill someone if he throws the ball. Maybe they should field him as a batter? There will be the least losses then.
"Lodin!" Wolfram called out from his place under the tree as the man became louder and louder, making him instantly quiet. At least he's well-trained.
Once everyone had arrived, he and Conrad began showing them the basic moves and played a trial match. Wolfram's men may not have been skilled at the exact sport, but overall they gave the impression of fit athletes. They could handle catching balls right away, and once they understood what throwing and batting them was all about, Yuuri began to get the impression that he was playing with a team of professionals. Especially Lodin, who, after driving the ball into the ground several times, began to send it again and again between the trees and the lavender field. It looks like he will have to work harder on his own team, as those here are serious competitors.
When they took a break, Wolfram got up from his bench and approached him leisurely, smiling contentedly.
"So what do you think of them? They're good, aren't they?" he asked in the tone of a father proud of his sons who had just won the championship.
"They still need to work on technique, but they're quite capable," he admitted, looking at the soldiers gathering together. "Where did you even get them from? Especially the big one?"
Wolfram merely smiled contentedly to himself and answered him nothing.
As if he had been called, Lodin detached himself from his group and approached them uncertainly, watching Yuuri closely. Finally, he stood next to Wolfram, continuing to look down on him.
"Hey, commander. Is this seriously the king?" he asked in disbelief.
Well, sorry, I don't look like a king to you, Yuuri wanted to say but held back. His gaze, however, seemed to convey the same thing as Lodin put his hand to his chin and began rubbing it, wondering about something.
"What do you mean again?" Wolfram asked with resignation in his voice.
"Nothing much." Lodin paused for a moment, continuing to think hard about something. "Just knowing your preferences, I was expecting someone... bigger."
"Preferences? Bigger?" queried Yuuri, surprised, but his voice was almost inaudible when Wolfram kicked Lodin in the shin and started yelling at him.
"Don't talk about it like that! Have you even thought about how it sounds?"
"What do you mean?" Lodin replied, not caring at all about the kick, although it was evident that it was powerful and would have knocked anyone to their knees. "After all, you like big things."
"Shut up, you idiot!" Wolfram clenched his fists in frustration, and his cheeks began to redden. "Another word, and you'll be chopping wood until winter."
"Ehh, so you like big things?" Yuuri smiled deviously.
"You shut up, too. No more talk on this subject!" He pointed an accusatory finger at him, then turned on his heel and went somewhere among the trees. Arwin followed him, the shaking of his shoulders indicating that he was holding back his laughter.
"So our Lord Commander won't even let go of the king, eh? I'm sturdy there, so it doesn't bother me, but a runt like you probably has a hard time with him, eh?" Lodin laughed out loud, and the way he spoke changed strongly, as if he had stopped trying to sound correct, making it hard for Yuuri to understand him. "You still need to get stronger. A leader is supposed to be strong! And tough!" He clenched one hand into a fist, putting emphasis on the last two words. "If you want, I'll give you some training, eh? Good training for real warriors, not what they do there in the castle, playing around, eh!"
"I'll thank you for now." Yuuri laughed nervously, beginning to feel uncomfortable around the man. "I have too many other responsibilities." And he feared that such training could end badly for him.
"Ah, yes. Lord Commander mentioned. A mass of boring paperwork, eh? I'm not fond of such things. Before the commander took me on, I couldn't even write. After all, someone like me doesn't need it. You only cut and slash and take what you like. What good is reading there, eh?" He laughed again, and Yuuri was seriously beginning to worry that Wolfram had really grabbed himself a Viking somewhere.
"Lodin, come back here." Helgard seemed to notice that Yuuri was uncomfortable in the company of the giant and beckoned him back like a dog, and he obeyed, leaving him alone.
"Are you okay?" asked Conrad, approaching him.
"Yeah. Interesting company," he replied, watching as Lodin was now pestering Helgard.
"I didn't expect Wolfram to have such subordinates. But they're good warriors, and he seems to have total control over them, so I'll leave it alone for now."
"Something wrong with them?" he asked, hearing a note of concern in his godfather's voice.
"Nothing of the sort. Shall we continue the game?" Conrad threw the ball he was holding to Yuuri, who caught it and smiled.
They then played into the evening, and the practice made him even more anxious to return to Earth to his team.