Temple of the Winds 7
By: sagelibra
Pairing: Yuuram
Rating: PG-13 (may change)
Summary: There's one more custom Yuuri doesn't know about.
Disclaimer: Don't own any of them.
-o0o-
"Nothing?"
Yozak shook his head, his failure weighing heavily on him as the hopeful light in Yuuri's eyes dimmed and his shoulders slumped in disappointment.
"I'm sorry, kiddo." He said. "I've combed through every known kingdom, and some you've never even heard of, and I couldn't find anything. It's as though the Temple of the Winds doesn't exist!" Frustration limned his tone.
/But it does./ Yuuri's fists clenched. /It does./ "It must be somewhere." He said insistently.
"Your Majesty," Günter clicked his tongue anxiously at the weariness stamped on his king's features, "your Majesty, you must get some rest…"
But Yuuri merely shook his head and turned back to Yozak. "How can it be that so many know about it and yet no one has ever seen it? How is it possible that something as secret as the four boxes could be found, but one building with four walls and a roof can't?" His clenched fist came down on the tabletop with a loud thud. "I won't accept that!"
Silence fell on the room, its occupants exchanging worried glances. It was no secret that Heika Maou was not faring well in his fiance's absence. He was not sleeping well, and his heretofore easygoing manner had slowly, inexorably deteriorated. This grim, driven boy was not one they were familiar with.
Conrad drew a deep breath. "Heika, the Temple has been shrouded in secrecy for centuries, and it has only ever interacted with the Maou." He reminded the raven-haired boy gently. "Finding it will take time."
Yuuri's eyes closed. Time. How long had it been since Wolfram left? How much longer before he was returned to them? To him? His lower lip quivered. It had been too long already, he knew. He couldn't explain it, but something inside him thrummed with unease. Coils of dark forbidding twisted restlessly in his gut, straining to be set loose. An inner voice whispered that he was almost out of time.
He knew he was being unreasonable, demanding answers where there was obviously none to be found. But he couldn't help it. The demon inside him was not going to stop until he found some way to get to his fiancé.
A warm hand settled on his arm, and he opened his eyes to see Conrad's anxious gaze on him. "Why don't you take a break from this?" gesturing at the maps strewn all over the desk, "I promise we will notify you the moment we find something."
He blinked. Conrad's tone was familiar. Soothing. Then recognition dawned. It was the same tone he used to appease Greta when she was throwing one of her tantrums. The tone Conrad used when attempting to calm Wolfram. But this time the swordsman was using it on him. And he knew why.
"Even you think this is a wild goose chase, don't you? You don't really believe that we can find him." His tone was strained, a sense of betrayal tearing at him. He had thought that Conrad, of all people, would share his determination to bring his brother home. His knuckles whitened.
Conrad's gaze dropped. "I am certain that in time – "
"NO!" Yuuri exploded, both fists slamming on the table. "Don't you understand? I don't have time, Conrad. I can feel it! We are running out of time!" His chest heaved with emotion. He shook his head violently. "I have to find him before it is too late. I have to!"
"Your Majesty, you must remain calm!" Günter urged, wringing his hands anxiously.
"Damn you!" Yuuri's eyes were blazing. "For the love of God, do not ask me to remain calm!" His shoulders shook, his voice falling to a desperate whisper. "He needs me, Günter. I know he does."
Shock at the unusual outburst silenced his advisers.
"It has to be somewhere." Yuuri reiterated, his gaze sweeping his advisers. "It has to be."
"Your Majesty!" The sudden rapping on the door interrupted them.
"What?!" Yuuri snarled, his patience snapping.
Sudden apprehension made Dorcas freeze at the doorway, his face paling at the raw savagery that flashed across the King's features.
Yuuri spun away, struggling to contain his splintering emotions.
It was Gwendal who stepped forward. "What is it, Dorcas?" He asked quietly.
"It-it's Her Excellency, the Lady Celi." The soldier stammered out, eyeing Yuuri with undisguised nervousness. "She has arrived."
Yuuri froze, his heart skipping a beat. Oh gods, Celi was here. For a moment he contemplated bolting. Running away from yet another sorrowful face. Another reminder of his failure. But he was not a boy anymore. He was a King. He squared his shoulders, gathered the tatters of his dignity around him. "Let's go and meet her then."
-o0o-
Tension ran high as, gathered at the castle entrance, Yuuri, Conrad, and Gwendal waited wordlessly for the royal carriage.
Yuuri watched the approaching carriage with a heavy heart. Guilt. Frustration. Impotence. He had hoped to have Wolfram back before the ex-Maou returned. But he had failed.
Conrad glanced down at him and, catching the grimness in the Maou's eyes, laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Everything will be alright, Heika."
Yuuri disagreed. Nothing had gone right since Wolfram had left. But he nodded anyway, acknowledging the attempt at comfort.
Gwendal said nothing, preparing himself for what he knew what going to be a difficult meeting.
Finally, the carriage rolled to a stop before them, and the door opened. The ex-Maou alighted with her innate grace, her gaze immediately coming to rest on the three men awaiting her.
Gwendal was the first to approach her.
"Mother." The single word contained all his guilt and sorrow. Conrad was beside him a moment later.
Yuuri, expecting Wolfram's mother to be reduced to either hysterical tears or violent fury, stared bemusedly when Celi simply laid a gentle hand on each of her son's cheeks. The effect was nothing short of miraculous. Gwendal and Conrad straightened, their eyes brightening, as though their mother's touch had given them renewed hope.
"We need to talk." She said softly, her eyes going to Yuuri. Their eyes locked, and Yuuri trembled. In her eyes the Maou glimpsed the iron will which kept her anguish at bay. But it was there, lurking in the emerald depths, and Yuuri shivered.
He nodded jerkily, turning to lead the way to the study, where Günter joined them. They all knew, without saying, that this was a council of war.
Celi's gaze swept through them, her expression unusually somber, her face pale. "Tell me everything." She ordered finally, softly.
Yuuri was silent, his head bowed while Conrad went through the ghastly tale.
Celi's eyes were dark with sorrow when Conrad finished. "Oh my baby…" She whispered. Here, away from prying eyes, she could let her pain show.
Yuuri came forward, almost stumbling. "I'm sorry, Celi." He offered miserably. "This is my fault." All his previous anger had evaporated, leaving him drained and hollow inside.
"No." Gwendal said in his deep voice. "It is mine." He hung his head. "Forgive me Mother. Protecting Wolfram was my duty, and I failed."
But Celi was already shaking her head. "You are his brother, Gwendal, not his keeper. Some things he had to choose on his own." Her voice shook slightly, but the smile she sent her eldest was wry. However, when her gaze met Yuuri's, the smile faltered and died.
"Was it really so impossible to love Wolfram, Yuuri?" She asked softly, her eyes dark with sorrow. "Was his beauty and devotion not enough to touch your heart?"
It was Yuuri's turn to shake his head. Vehemently. "No!" He got out hoarsely. "It wasn't like that!"
"Maou Heika had always been a good friend to Lord Wolfram!" Günter rose to his defense immediately.
"A good friend, yes." Celi sighed despondently. "I was so sure that in time you would learn to love Wolfram." Grief lay heavy in her heart, as did reproach, but not anger. No, not that. Celi knew better than anyone how treacherous the heart could be. She had been loved well and truly by many men in her long life, but though she held real affection for each and every one of them, there was no one she could claim to have really loved. She herself was living testimony to the fact that loving did not guarantee being loved in return.
/Is this my punishment for failing to love them back, Shinou? Did you take my son away to punish my shallow heart?/
"But I do!" Yuuri protested. "I do love Wolfram!" It was only later, when he had had the time to reflect on that day, that he realized how easily the word had come to his lips, this time.
"Yuuri – " Celi chewed her lip.
"I do!" Yuuri repeated stubbornly.
Celi stared at him. "Then why did you agree to let him enter the Temple?"
"I didn't!" Yuuri told her, the old frustration rising up inside. "I didn't get to agree to anything! I was going to persuade him to stay, but he didn't even say goodbye and by the time I realized he was gone there was nothing I could do to prevent it!"
Celi stiffened, her eyes widening. "You mean – " Her voice shook noticeably. "You didn't agree to let Wolfram leave?"
"Of course not!" Yuuri almost yelled, aghast at the suggestion that he would have willingly let anyone take his fiancé away.
"You were not brought before Shinou? The monk never asked if you were truly willing to let him go?" Celi pressed, her eyes glittering now.
"I never even met the guy!" Yuuri's tone promised dire retribution when he got around to meeting the monk who had virtually spirited Wolfram out of his life. "And what does Shinou have to do with this?"
Brilliant green eyes zeroed in on her sons, and their bemused nods affirmed the Maou's story.
"He didn't ask…" Celi whispered, her eyes closing. She bowed her head, and a tear slipped out, sliding down her cheek.
/Thank you, Shinou. Thank you for giving him a chance to live again./
"Mother?" Conrad stepped to her side, touching her shoulder gently.
However, the gaze that she lifted to his was brilliant. "He didn't ask, Conrad." Her tone was filled with intensity. "He didn't ask!"
Four pairs of eyes met over her head, the same though flashing through their minds. Had she finally lost it?
But Celi was already before Yuuri, grasping his hands tightly in both of hers.
"Don't you understand, Yuuri?" Celi was sobbing and laughing at the same time. "You still have a chance to get him back! You can still save Wolfram!"
Her words electrified her audience.
"How?!" Yuuri whispered, his hands tightening painfully around hers.
Celi smiled, hope transforming her features from stunning beauty to ethereal loveliness. "They have to ask YOU, Yuuri. The Maou has to be the one to release his fiancé into the care of the Temple." She said softly. "That was the pact between the Original King and the Temple of the Winds."
Yuuri's eyes widened.
"Mother, I think you need to start from the beginning." Conrad said softly. "How did the Temple of the Winds come about in the first place?" Although they had all known about the Temple, none knew exactly how it had come to existence. At first it hadn't mattered and no one had been interested enough to find out. And later, well, Wolfram hadn't exactly been eager to face that reality.
Celi took a deep breath. "The Temple was founded during the time of the 3rd Maou, Damon von Wahlburg. It was a time of great chaos and war, when political alliances were made and broken in the blink of an eye. It was not uncommon for kingdoms to send beauties to Blood Pledge Castle, suing for an alliance with him through marriage. Damon was not averse to forging such alliances, but he never married any of them precisely because he was deeply suspicious of their sincerity."
"So he sent them to the Temple of the Winds?" Yuuri couldn't imagine doing that to anyone.
Celi nodded. "It was self-preservation, Yuuri." She told him bluntly. "He could not remain engaged to those whose loyalties belonged to former allies-turned-enemies. Nor could he return them to their countries, not knowing what knowledge they might bring with them, what damage they could wrought. So he asked Shinou for a place where he could send these women. Somewhere safe yet completely cut off from the rest of the world."
"Permanently? Couldn't he send them back home after the wars had ended?" Yuuri queried with a deep frown.
Celi gazed at him somberly. "It was a lesson he wanted those kingdoms to remember." She told him at length. "He wanted them to remember that betraying Shin Makoku came with a terrible price."
"There are no records of that in our history books." Günter piped in curiously.
"Times changed. The humans concerned died out and the politics of the time dictated that an uneasy peace was better than an outright war. The succeeding Maous felt that it was in the best interest of Shin Makoku to let this particular custom disappear from public awareness, so they struck out the gory details. Turned it into something more romantic." Celi shrugged. "After a while the Temple became legend. The truth became myth."
"But the Temple did not cease to exist, did it?" Gwendal mused. "I suppose that in time the purpose behind the Temple shifted and changed, and the Maous decided to take advantage of that whenever they needed to be 'disengaged'." Gwendal concluded.
Celi nodded. "But there is a catch. Shinou was well aware of the potential for abusing the Temple and so he insisted that every Maou be held accountable for the person he sent there. There is always a ritual wherein the monk asked the Maou before Shinou if he was decided on sending his fiancé to the Temple, and the Maou had to state unequivocally that he was, before the monk could take that person. It is no easy thing," her voice lowered, "to condemn a person to eternal loneliness."
Understanding dawned over Yuuri. "But - no one asked me."
"Exactly." Celi's eyes burned into his. "Which is why that monk had no right to take Wolfram."
Yuuri's heart skipped a beat, then began pounding. He straightened.
/They had no right./
"How do I get him back?" He demanded. "What do I have to do?"
"First we have to find the Temple." Conrad spoke up. "But that's proving to be more than a little difficult, Mother. Not even Yozak has been able to find a trace of it anywhere."
"And he won't." Celi told her son. "Damon did not want anyone stumbling on the Temple by accident, which is why he made sure that it wouldn't be found anywhere. That's why he had had to get Shinou's approval."
"You mean – "
"The Temple of the Winds is in another dimension."
Stunned silence greeted the announcement.
Conrad shook his head. No wonder Yozak had found no trace of it anywhere. "But Mother, how do you know all this?"
Celi's eyes grew haunted.
"You – you sent someone there." Yuuri said faintly.
She bit her lip, then nodded.
Yuuri swallowed. Hard. Glancing at his advisers, he could not help but notice their pallor. This was a part of their mother's past they had not known about.
"I was young and arrogant." Celi recounted sadly. "And very very selfish. I was engaged to a nobleman before I was named Demon Queen. A boy I scarcely knew but was engaged in the name of social advantage. I would have married him anyway," her eyes touched Gwendal, "but I met your father and we fell in love." Or as in love as she was capable of at that time. "I wanted to marry him." Shame made her drop her gaze. "The Temple allowed me to have my heart's desire."
"…"
Celi drew an unsteady breath. "I do not regret loving your father, Gwendal, or marrying him. Later events prove that we were destined to be together. For you to be born. But I do regret that someone had to be sacrificed for our sake."
"What was his name?" Gwendal's voice was strangled.
"Reinard." Celi whispered. "His name was Reinard von Hegel."
"Did you – did you ever try to get him back from the Temple?" Yuuri had to ask.
Celi shuddered, averting her face.
"Please." Yuuri begged. "I have to know. Is there a way to rescue Wolfram from the Temple?"
"Yuuri…" It was the anguish in his voice that got through to the former Maou. Green eyes glistening with tears, she spoke softly. "In time I realized how selfish I had been. I repented and asked Ulrike to intervene in my behalf. I foolishly thought that since I was the one who had sent Reinard there, I could bring him back. But the Ulrike made it clear that while sending him there had been my decision to make, whether or not he returns is his."
"How could anyone want to stay in exile?" Yozak wondered derisively.
Celi shook her head. "That was what I thought as well."
Yuuri's gut twisted in foreboding.
"The Temple – his time there did something to him." Celi said bitterly. "Changed him. I barely recognized him when he finally agreed to meet with me , and he pointblank refused to come back. He said he had found peace. That he had given up his name to become one with the Temple." She shivered. "He became a monk."
Oh Shinou.
"No!" Yuuri was on his feet and running before the word had even left his lips. No way in hell he was letting Wolfram to lose yet something else because of his stupidity. No. Wolfram was his fiancé. His. And he was not staying a moment longer than absolutely necessary in the Temple, much less turn into a monk. An image of the golden-haired prince flashed in his mind and a terrible rage grew inside him at the injustice of it all.
The Temple of the Winds had outlived its usefulness.
-o0o-