*dodges fruit and random objects* Yes, I know, I disappeared, i suck. Im really sorry, i completely gave up on this once RL caught up with me... ^^; But, four days ago, a very very awesome person called Sumonte added this to his/her favourites and made me realise people are still reading this. like, Wow. So this chapter, and all those following it are going to be posted only thanks to Sumonte. Everybody, after me, THANK YOU SUMONTE! *loves Sumonte a lot*
And. Since I only ever watched the anime of Kyou Kara Maou, and there's nothing new out, I've had only my random fantasies and day-dreams to remind me of this canon for a whole year. And those are really non-canon. I mean, Adalbert's nice enough to be a puppy in my head right now. o.O Right. So, if I make any tiny or huge mistakes with respect to the canon, feel free to criticise, kick, or even flame me. ^^
Disclaimer: I dont own Kyou Kara Maou. T.T I dont even own Gwendal...
The Prince Consort Tales Chapter 3
In which the Prince Consort is Perpetually Pink
Lady Celi instantly brightened as she looked away from Anissina's handiwork and watched her three- no, four sons, and her soon to be in-laws-to-be burst into the room with one very fine soukoku.
She flew to hug Shori, and remind him of how incredibly eligible he still was. And then she proceeded to greet Jennifer and Shouma with giggles and hugs, ignoring Gwendal's pointed stares.
While she fawned over Jennifer and they both squealed about the wedding, the men looked around at the throne room – in awe.
Wolfram, already flustered by the whole in-laws turning up thing and preparing for the wedding, was speechless at the sight he beheld.There's...there's tinsel EVERYWHERE! On the walls, over the portraits, wrapped around the pillars..."Tinsel," he said, in daze like Yuuri.
Anissina's head snapped around in indignation. "What're you calling tinsel, you brat? That is 100% pure silver yarn, spun by the best silversmiths in Shin Makoku!"
At this, Yuuri, Wolfram and Shori briefly, but inconveniently forgot how to breathe.
When they finally remembered, something else caught Wolfram's eye. Oh my Shinou. Oh. My. Shinou.
The throne, oh lords, not the throne... The usual high backed throne was almost unrecognisable, with at least twenty of Anissina's contraptions whirring around it suspiciously. The label on one read '2cm thick gold plater-kun!' and that of another read 'Directly attach gems-kun!'. Wolfram gulped and looked away for fear of reading anymore.
Gwendal, meanwhile, was busy staring at all the other new additions to the room, which included a long table that stretched along one wall, and seemed to be loaded with what looked like- sweets. He let out an uncharacteristic gasp and clutched Conrart's shoulder, thinking- Please, let it not be ball, please let it not be a ball. Shinou, I could take on Dai Shimaron right now but not a ball!
His mother, bless her, knew his panicked expression well enough from experience, and giggled, "Don't worry, Gwendal, it's much better than a ball!"
"Better?" Conrart asked, wary of what was coming.
It was Anissina who answered this time. "A ball, Gwendal?" she said scornfully. "Really, how ignorant of you! You should know, some of the Bielefelds are coming over for the wedding! They're arriving today."
Wolfram began to tremble. "But... H-how?"
"Oh, I sent one of those pigeons to Waltorana two days ago!" explained Lady Celi.
Jennifer furrowed her eyebrows, trying to catch up. "Wait, Wol-chan's relatives are coming?But that's great! Why's everyone so terrified?"
"Because, mom, Wolf's uncle, Waltorana, is a bit..."
"Hard to handle?" suggested Conrart, unfortunately snapping Wolfram out of shock.
"Mother! Why in the world would you invite Waltorana and-"Wolfram blanked, "Who else is coming, exactly?"
Lady Celi grinned in anticipation. "Well, you how the girls can get. Jacqueline and Antoinette really, really, really wanted to come and play-"
"MOTHER!" The air around Wolfram heated up about 7 degrees, and made Yuuri jump a little.
"Okay, that's enough, Wolfram! Come on, let's go to the kitchens." With this he yanked Wolfram out of the utterly transformed room, trying to ignore how fiery his arm was.
Shori choked on his breath. "You're allowing them to just run away together like that? For all you know,-"
"Oh, Sho-chan, don't be such a spoilsport. Come on, be a gentleman, help us ladies decorate this pretty room!"
Conrart smiled and got to work immediately.
Shouma noticed Gwendal backing away slowly, apparently too experienced to get caught in his mother's schemes, and spoke up (A/N finally!). "Gwendal, can I have a word with you, alone, please?"
Gwendal, thankful for the distraction, nodded. "Sure, let's head over to my office, then."
As they passed by the huge portraits of Shinou and Daikenja in the corridor, Shouma wondered where they had disappeared to. He had caught parts of Shinou's furious muttering, ...Daikenja...I want to go back, now! This is ridiculous!... Perhaps, the size difference outside of the Shinou Shrine made it hard for him to yell at Murata properly?
When they got to the office, Shouma didn't waste any time. "Gwendal, I wanted to be sure...You're okay with them getting, you know, married?"
Gwendal smiled, releasing a breath he hadn't realised he had been holding. "Of course, I am. What sort of a brother would I be if I wasn't?"
"I mean, Gwendal, that they have your blessing, don't they? Because on Earth, we Mazoku don't – can't marry without consent of both families. And Yuuri – well, he wouldn't have the slightest idea how to go about it the right way. Maybe he's just too young..."
"Shouma, you underestimate Yuuri. He's grown into a fine man, an able king. Five years ago, when he slapped Wolfram, we were all unsure, too. But he's proved himself time and time again, and we hoped this would be special for young Wolfram. We'd all been through a lot before Yuuri became king, but Wolfram was a lot worse; Yuuri changed everything. He is special. And there's nothing we'd like more than to welcome him into the family."
Shouma managed a little smile, despite the tears in his eyes, "And here I thought Yuu-chan was good for nothing but Little League Baseball."
"Mmmmm..." went Wolfram.
"Mmmmm..." went Yuuri.
"Greta, these cookies are delicious!" They chorused.
Greta's laughter rang through the kitchen. "Yeah, right. You're just saying that; they're half burnt, I can see!"
"No, really!" And to prove his point, Wolfram shoved three maou sized ones down Yuuri's throat, causing him to choke and spray all of them with cookie crumbs.
"Ewwwww! Dad, gross! "
"Hey, don't blame me, kid, blame your other daddy," pouted Yuuri. "Now don't you want to go see your grandmother in the throne room? I know she's going crazy, waiting to see you."
Greta's expression grew tenfold as she realised that her Grandmother was in Blood Pledge Castle, and fell as she wondered if she would like burnt cookies.
Wolfram, the 'other daddy' that he might be, knew his daughter well enough to know what to do. "Come on," he said with a smile and a playful tug on her arm.
And that was all the reassurance she needed. The trio left the kitchens to the maids, heading towards the (dreaded) throne room. As Dorcas opened the door for the maou for the second time that day, Greta gasped in wonder, "Grandma, you can do magic, after all!"
Jennifer shrieked to see her beloved grandaughter and ran from the big box of tins – silver to give her a bear hug. "So what do you think Greta, this enough to impress Wol-chan's 'mean' uncle?"
"Oh, he's always been so nice to me," she giggled.
"That's because you are a charming young lady, trained by Anissina and I," Lady Celi reminded with a smile.
"True," agreed Jennifer. "Say, why don't all of us ladies go get dressed up for the guests?"
The three women left the room, leaving Shori and Conrart tangled up in all the silver and the recently unpacked blue daisy chains.
Yuuri shook his head, wondering if he'd ever be part of a normal family.
It wasn't turning out to be a great day for the maids Doria, Sangria and Lizanya.
It was bad enough that the princess had disappeared with her grandmothers; her help (she had taken to helping them around the kitchens) was missed terribly now that they had to come up with an entirely new dessert in honour of the Bielefeld sisters. In two hours. At least Wolfram had disappeared, too. Now they were in no danger from nervous brats trying to send the castle up in flames.
So two hours later, when the first ever batch of Gugelhupf* was cosy in an oven, and Wolfram had turned up safe and sound but blushing scarlet, it was no wonder that the maids were in no condition to face Waltorana and his daughters. The rather loud clip-clop of carriage horses was doing nothing to calm the nerves of the residents of Blood Pledge Castle, and neither did the mysterious absence of Greta (though her Grandmothers had returned to welcome the guests).
The said residents assembled at the main hall, and stepped out in three lines, perhaps trying to find solace in military style discipline : Murata (with Shinou on his shoulder, as usual), Wolfram, Yuuri and Conrart leading, then Gunter, Lady Celi, Jennifer and Gwendal, finally Anissina, Shori, Shouma and Dorcas. Well, someone had to carry the luggage inside.
The Bielefeld flags drew closer and closer, stopping strategically in front of Yuuri. Waltorana's personal guard bowed first to Yuuri, Wolfram and Murata (and Shinou), and then opened the first carriage door still bowed in respect.
Wolfram smiled a little as he felt Yuuri sway beside him, somewhat reassured that he wasn't the only one weak with shudders.
Waltorana stepped out in all his arrogant glory, a surprisingly genuine smile on his face. He bowed deeply to Yuuri, and (even more surprising than his smile) moved forward to hug Wolfram. He appeared to whisper something in his ear that made hime go red from his nose to his toes, and stepped back to address Yuuri.
"And now, Your Majesty, I present to you my daughters - ", the guards tried to open the door of the second carriage, but it slammed open of its own accord, "- Jacqueline and Antoinette von Bielefeld."
A slim, tall figure pranced out of the carriage and curtsied, "Jacqueline, your Majesty, pleasure to meet you!", before turning with a gleam in her eye to Wolfram. "Wolfy!", her pale hair completely buried him as she hugged him with all her might.
Shori gulped as he took in her well-formed body, her all too familiar curves and her devastatingly blue eyes, nauseatingly reminded of one of his dating sim games - one that had ended particularly badly.
Conrart sensed his discomfort and guiltily allowed himself a smirk while Yuuri wondered if his fiance could breathe.
The clanging of metal on metal brought their attention to another feminine figure slipping out if the carriage, that made all the Shibuyas gasp in unison and Shori's knees weak.
Light flashed off Murata's glasses as he commented dryly to Shinou, "I never thought I'd see a goth in this world."
And true enough, there didn't seem to be many more words to describe her, as if Shori muttering "date with a Vampire 2.0, Date with a Vampire 2.0..." while clutching his father's arm wasn't enough to indicate that.
Jennifer blinked as the girl ambled along to face Yuuri.
"Toni, " She said, inclining her head towards him.
She's whiter than anyone I've ever seen before, marvelled Jennifer. ...and her hair- it's all different colours ! But, aren't black eyes rare in this world?
Not being allowed to wear black, she was draped in neck to toe in midnight blue, her face seeming to be its moon. Her sharp, elven features, highlighted by her short spiky hair (painted five colours), formed a half mocking, half appreciative look as she turned to Wolfram.
He was still gasping for breath from Jacqueline's hug as she flicked a lock of hair off his face and said, "Not bad, not bad at all, little Wolfy." She was about to turn to Shori (poor thing, she had noticed his 'gorgeous' soukoku eyes and hair from the corner of her eye), no doubt to make some sort of an advance, when-
"Toni!"
Greta's lithe profile flew across the vast courtyard and stopped a millisecond from crashing into her. As if this wasn't enough to confuse all those present (to the best of their knowledge the two had never even heard of eachother before), Toni's hard obsidian eyes softened and she welcomed Greta into her arms – as warmly as sisters reuniting.
Yuuri and Wolframs' eyebrows furrowed like mirrors – after all, what father wants to see his only daughter embrace a total stranger, much less one who looked as ...wild, as Toni?
"Greta!" they shouted, just as Waltorana said, "Antoinette!"; Jacqueline just giggled.
Lady Celi, realising that all the fathers present would waste no time in blowing the scene out of proportion, said "Come now, we oughtn't to keep our guests shivering. Let's all go in and introduce the in-laws-to-be!"
They trooped inside, the obediance having nothing to do with the cold and everything to do with fear of her wrath.
Once inside, Greta disappeared again, her absence more conspicuous because it was to avoid the questions that would surely come. But her fathers didn't, or rather, weren't allowed to notice, and were instead dragged off to the throne room.
While Waltorana grinned to himself, his ego rising like dough in the oven at the thought that the room had been redone for him, and Jacqueline and Toni gorged themselves on little sandwiches, Yuuri and Wolfram stared at the painting of a window.
Ignoring them, Waltorana, Jennifer, Lady Celi, Jacqueline and Murata began discussing the wedding.
Lady Celi assumed the stance of an army general. "Since I have the most experience in weddings among all of us here, I take resposibility for making this one happen!"
Jennifer, Jacqueline and Murata applauded, Waltorana looked on enthusiastically.
"I shall now read out a list of essentials, and one of you must volunteer for each! Okay, first – vows!"
Murata hopped about, making Shinou go poof to his shrine in a cloud of oaths. "Oh, leave that to Ulrike and I, your Highness! We've got the actual ceremony all planned out."
"Thank you, your Holiness! Flowers?"
It was Gunter who spoke, much to Shori and Shouma's surprise. "Gisela has especially said that she would like to handle the flowers, with Greta's help, your Highness."
"Very well, then. Robes for the grooms?"
Waltorana started to promise the finest clothing in all of Shin Makoku, but his younger daughter cleared her throat. "Um, you guys know those two are still here, right? Do you really want to spoil the element of surprise?"
Jennifer took charge. "Yuuri, Wolfram, be dears and don't spoil our fun."
When they just blinked at eachother, then at her, she sighed, "Get out, both of you, and don't pry into the matters of your wedding, okay?"And with that she pushed them out herself.
In the hallway, Yuuri and Wolfram felt their heads clearing of the utter weirdness of someone planning their wedding like a siege. Wolfram even began to smile despite how nervous he was, as Yuuri smiled his goofy smile and took his hand in his own. "Say, Yuuri, can you believe it?"
"Believe what? That this - " his arm slid around Wolfram's waist, pulling him closer, "- is real? That you of all people-" he cupped Wolfram's cheek in his other hand, as if to reassure him, "- would be nervous? Or, maybe, it's that in a week you - " his lips met Wolfram's neck, travelling upward slowly,"- will be my husband?" he finished against his lips.
Wolfram was lost in Yuuri for a few minutes, like he always was when Yuuri reminded him why he put up with his wimpy-ness, until the door slammed open next to them.
"Little brother!" cried Toni. "Do you have to yell it out that loud?"
Yuuri pulled back, blinking at her. "What?"
Wolfram blushed as red as a firetruck. "Erm.. Yuuri... She can read minds."
"Eh... are you serious?"
And then, "Gehhhhh, Wolf, what were you thinking!"
"Oh, Your Majesty, I don't think you'd want to know."
Jacqueline appeared in the doorway. "Toni! Perhaps he would... they are getting married, afterall.."
"Oi! Don't change the topic!"
"What topic, you fool of a king?"
"Er... How do you know Greta?"
Toni smirked. "Wolfram, you remember last year when I left Father's palace... Well, I happened to camp out at Greta's school, and we happened to connect very well."
Wolfram took a step closer to her. What did you do to her?
"Whoa, protective much, little brother? We just talked about regular stuff – school, people... drugs, boys..." She completed, half-jokingly.
It was all Yuuri could do to restrain Wolfram as he lunged towards Toni, fireballs blinking in and out of existence around his fingertips.
"You little-! You've been corrupting my innocent little daughter! How could you? You're" A HORRIBLE INFLUENCE! Toni winced at Wolfram's mental scream as Yuuri jammed his hand over his mouth.
"Wolfram!" Waltorana and the others chose this very moment to exit the throne room, getting an excellent view of Jacqueline giggling, Toni wincing and Yuuri more or less straddling Wolfram.
Wolfram promptly went through ten different shades of pink successively.
Lady Celi and Jennifer happy-danced for a few minutes at the sight, and Murata clapped.
"Well, then! It's all decided!" said Jennifer finally.
Lady Celi continued, "Tomorrow will be the first of the sacred rituals!" Ignoring Wolfram's shudder, "We will have the very important Battle of Popularity tomorrow!"
And then, the red as ever, soon-to-be Prince Consort fainted in his fiance's arms.
And A HUGE Thanks to EVERYONE who read(s) this story and came back for this chappie ^^ *hands out cookies* and also to people who reviewed! I love all of you! Now review again! ^^
btw, lots of people who reviewed way back in the beginning, thank you to you also, but all your reviews got lost in the re-posting of the fic. T.T