He'd planned to spend most of the day in bed so he'd be rested for the ceremony. Instead, Gwendal had dragged him out of bed just after Yuuri had left and he'd been dragged around all morning for preparations.
Gwendal had insisted on changing the time of the ceremony from early
evening to just after noon. Wolfram had barely listened to the
reasons; he didn't really care. He and Yuuri were about to be married,
the earlier the better.
Gwendal and Yozak were standing off to the side and Gunter went to join them once Wolfram was in position, kneeling in front of Ulrike.
She asked if he was willing to marry the maou and Wolfram was tempted to laugh. Instead, he answered with a solemn, "yes".
He didn't have to look to know that Yuuri had entered the room; he could feel him. But Wolfram looked anyway, wanting to remember as much of this day as his throbbing head would allow.
Pain or no, Wolfram didn't think he would ever forget the sight of Yuuri approaching, backlit by candles, expression calm, eyes focused only on him. Wolfram felt lightheaded for reasons that had nothing to do with his illness.
Kneeling beside him, Yuuri offered a smile before looking at Ulrike. He voiced his consent to the marriage and accepted the goblet that was offered. Taking a sip, Yuuri then held the water out to Wolfram, keeping a hold on the goblet so that their hands touched as Wolfram drank.
Yuuri moved the goblet away when Wolfram was done so that Wolfram could light the candle Ulrike set before them. The yellow flame danced atop the candle for a long moment before Yuuri lifted the goblet and emptied it, dousing the light and leaving only a wisp of smoke winding upwards.
Ulrike leaned forward, placing her hands on their heads. She murmured softly for a few seconds then motioned for them to join hands. She murmured some more, longer this time and then stepped back, smiling.
"Congratulations, Yuuri-Heika and Lord Wolfram. May you have a long, happy marriage."
Yuuri thanked her and stood, helping Wolfram up before turning to Gwendal, who was waiting nearby with a piece of parchment and a pen.
"The final step: signing the marriage certificate." He placed it on a convenient table and watched as Yuuri then Wolfram signed it. When they were done, Gunter and Yozak signed as witnesses.
"Congratulations," he said gruffly, before taking the document and walking away.
Gunter wailed for joy and hugged Yuuri and Wolfram at the same time, already prattling about planning the perfect reception.
"Thanks, everyone," Yuuri said, grinning self-consciously. "I guess we should get back to the castle and rest a little before the big dinner tonight." He smiled over at Wolfram and took his hand carefully. "Okay?"
Wolfram nodded, smiling despite his throbbing head. He was very aware of the feel of Yuuri's hand. It was nice.
"Couple of boring old marrieds," Yozak commented to Conrad as they led the way to the carriages.
XXXXX
"Conrad?" Yuuri called softly once the carriage had stopped and he
heard voices and footsteps. The door opened and Conrad looked in,
blinking at the sight of Wolfram sound asleep with his head in Yuuri's
lap.
"He sort of just... fell over." Yuuri explained quietly. "He didn't sleep much last night," he added with a shrug.
Conrad nodded and entered the carriage, lifting Wolfram carefully and handing him down to Yozak who grinned but remained silent.
Wolfram remained asleep through three sets of stairs and five hallways, all the way to bed where he settled in with a mumble and a soft snore.
Yuuri thanked Conrad and Yozak, ushering them out and closing the door quietly behind them. He was tempted to go somewhere, just to walk off his nervous energy, but decided it would be better for his health if he was there when Wolfram woke. And anyway, he had to make sure his new husband was ready for the celebration dinner.
He picked up then discarded the book Wolfram had been reading â€" he wasn't in the mood for reading about military strategies. There were others on the shelf - mostly history and politics and few of Anissinia's stories that Greta liked. Yuuri didn't think he could concentrate on anything more complex than an action manga.
Turning away from the bookshelf, he wandered to the window and stared out, his mind occupied by his sudden change in marital status. He could barely comprehend it, but he didn't regret it. At least he didn't think he did. After all, it was to protect Wolfram, which he wanted. He just didn't know about the other... married stuff. Like in those books his mother and Murata gave him.
Sighing, he turned away from the window and looked at his sleeping husband. Wolfram would probably want to do things like that eventually, and it wasn't like Yuuri didn't have some thoughts of his own about it - he was a teenager after all. But the whole... boy thing... that just made everything more complicated, didn't it?
Still, holding hands with Wolfram wasn't that different from holding
hands with a girl â€" not that Yuuri had a lot of experience with that.
And kissing Wolfram wouldn't be that different than kissing a girl - not that Yuuri had any experience with that. And the rest... well he
had no idea about that, but then Conrad didn't think Wolfram was very
knowledgeable either so...
Maybe he'd just worry about that later. He had other things to worry about now - like Wolfram's lingering illness and whatever Wolfram's grandfather was plotting.
Yuuri glanced towards the bed and smiled at the peaceful expression on Wolfram's face. He'd better enjoy it while it lasted as the other boy never wore an expression like that when he was awake.
XXXXX
"I didn't know. Lord Gwendal, I didn't know!" Doria buried her face in her hands and sobbed.
"No one is blaming you, Doria." Conrad patted the distraught maid on
the shoulder, hoping to calm her so the questioning could continue.
"We just need to know who gave this to you."
"It was the older gentleman that brought Wolfram home. He insisted that I put five drops of this in Wolfram's tea twice a day. He said it would help with his illness." Doria's face scrunched up as she fought back tears. "I would never do anything to hurt Lord Wolfram, I wouldn't!"
"Of course you wouldn't," Conrad soothed. "Did the gentleman say what this was? What was in it?"
"He said it was medicine from the Bielefeld healer, but Sangria said she smelled glimweed in it and told me to bring it here."
"We'll take care of this, Doria. Why don't you take a few minutes before you go back to the kitchen? I'll tell the cook."
"It's alright, sir. Cook's got his hand's full getting ready for the special dinner tonight. We're making a cake to surprise the king and Lord Wolfram."
"Then we'll let you go. You did the right thing, Doria; our thanks to you and Sangria."
Doria blushed and ducked her head, bobbing a curtsey before hurrying out of Gwendal's office.
Gwendal scowled at the small bottle and its dark green contents. "Glimweed. That would explain Wolfram's symptoms. It's time for another conversations with Lars Holsted."
"And Siegfried Warner." Conrad added. "It's possible Lars was given false information about the contents of that bottle."
"Have them escorted here together, but bring them in one at a time." Gwendal glanced towards the window. "Wolfram's grandfather should be here in another hour. I'd like to have this cleared up before he arrives."
Conrad nodded and hurried from the room. He was back in less than ten minutes, escorting Lars Holsted into the room. The elderly man was pale.
"Please sit," Gwendal made it more of an order than an invitation. He didn't wait for Lars to comply before asking, "What exactly is in this bottle?"
"Medicine for Lord Wolfram, sir, the counter for the Bielefeld potion, same as the bottle I gave you earlier. Siegfried said that he should have a dose twice a day until his illness passes, so I asked the kitchen staff to put it in Wolfram's tea."
"Did the healer tell you exactly what was in this counter-potion?"
"No. I explained the symptoms of the Bielefeld potion without actually telling him what it was, and he made this."
"How long have you been giving this to Wolfram? "
"Almost three weeks, sir."
"Do you know what glimweed is?" Gwendal's usual stern voice was deceptively casual.
"It's an herb, a dangerous one. Very addictive. It's said that prolonged exposure weakens both mind and body. Once a person is dependant on it, they must be weaned off it slowly or they could die."
As Lars finished his recitation, he looked at the grim expressions on
the brother's faces. "Are you saying the counter-potion contains
glimweed?" He bolted upright in a panic. "It can't be. It can't!" He
took a step towards Gwendal. "Please, you have to call your healer,
apothecary, someone! If Wolfram's been exposed... "
Conrad stepped between Lars and Gwendal. "We've already called our healer, and she is currently tending to Wolfram. She analyzed both the potion and the counter-potion; mint was added to the latter to make it look and smell different; otherwise they are identical and they both contain glimweed." Conrad offered the older man a grim smile. "The guards will escort you back to your room where you should remain until we have more information on Wolfram's condition."
"He knew." Lars looked at the two men, desperate to make them understand. "Lord Ulrich must have known I was helping Wolfram. He had to know. He had to!" Lars was still ranting as the guards escorted him down the hallway.
Conrad watched him go, then motioned to the second set of guards to bring Siegfried from the room across the hall where he'd been waiting.
The healer eyed his surroundings as he entered Gwendal's office and took a seat without being asked. "You called for me, sirs?"
"Did you make this 'medicine' at the request of Lars Holsted?" Gwendal pointed at the bottle on his desk. He disliked this man's attitude and didn't want to spend any more time than necessary with him.
"I did." Siegfried's humble manner didn't quite conceal his interest in the gold-edged tea service on the sideboard.
"What is in this medicine?" Gwendal picked up the bottle and thumped it back down on the desk to focus the healer's attention.
"It's an herbal remedy. I grow my own ingredients, so I know they are properly dried. It's a very time-consuming process as you can imagine, sir."
"Do you grow your own glimweed, too?" Gwendal asked smoothly, noticing that the healer's eyes had strayed again â€" this time to the bookcase with it's rows of richly-bound books.
"Of course I..." Siegfried knew he was caught. He leapt to his feet. "I do what my lord tells me!" he cried desperately. "I have a family,
young children. What choice do I have?"
"Indeed. What choice but to willingly poison the king's consort." Gwendal's sneer was frightening enough to send Siegfried back a step.
"Consort?" Siegfried looked at Conrad for confirmation and received a curt nod. "But he wasn't... he just..."
"Poisoning the king's fiance is somehow acceptable? Is that what you're saying? Tell me, why it was necessary to continue giving this 'medicine' to Wolfram von Bielefeld after you'd been offered protection at Blood Pledge Castle?"
"I... I didn't. I gave the bottle to Lars. I didn't know he was still giving it to Lord Wolfram!"
"But you didn't tell him it contained glimweed either. You didn't ask him what happened to the bottle." Gwendal looked at Siegfried as if he were beneath contempt. He motioned to Conrad and waited until the guards entered. "Confined to rooms under double guard. No visitors except Conrad or myself until further notice. Dismissed."
Siegfried had to be physically dragged from the room.
"That confirms Gisela's analysis. I'll see if she's made any progress on an antidote." Conrad glanced out the window. "You get to greet Wolfram's grandfather."
Gwendal rubbed his temple and once again wondered if Gunter had any painkillers.
XXXXX
"This is an outrage! I demand to see Wolfram immediately!" Ulrich von Bielefeld's face was flushed dark red with anger. "You had no authority to sign a marriage certificate for him. I'm the head of the von Bielefeld house!"
"And I am chief advisor to the maou, Wolfram's husband. You are the one over-stepping your authority." Gwendal was unmoved in the face of such anger.
"I demand an audience with the king immediately." Ulrich planted himself in the entry hall and would not move.
"You'll have one, sir, tomorrow afternoon," Gunter assured him, standing beside Gwendal and looking unusually intimidating. "It will give you the opportunity to answer the allegations of treason and conspiring against the king's consort."
"Insult!" Bielefeld bellowed. "Guards!" Before Bielefeld's personal guards could respond, they were surrounded by Gwendal's and Conrad's soldiers. There was a long tense moment before the Bielefeld men lowered their swords and surrendered, ignoring the ravings of their master.
"South wing. All of them. Confined with double guard. Anyone tries anything - and I mean anyone - and they are to be restrained without question. Go!" Gwendal's patience was at an end and he still had a wedding dinner to get through. He stomped off towards the king's chambers, hoping Gisela was still there and could help relieve his headache.
XXXXX
Lars chose not to leave a note. There was nothing he could say to
properly apologize to the young man he loved like a son.
Instead, he took the small book out of its worn leather pouch and laid
it carefully on the dresser beside his few belongings. There was
nothing of much value, but Wolfram was welcome to take any of it. It
was not as if Lars would have any use for it in a few minutes.
He looked at the dagger, razor sharp after years of careful tending. It would serve its purpose well - taking the life of a once-noble man driven beyond sanity by hatred and grief. Lars considered it his wedding gift to the happy couple, his life in trade for Wolfram's safety.
One last look at his reflection in the mirror, a careful smoothing of his hair, and he was ready.
There was only one guard on his door, easily distracted by an old
man's frantic plea. Lars used the hilt of the dagger to knock him out
and pushed his body into a nearby alcove. One turn led into the long
corridor where Ulrich was standing, bellowing demands to see the king.
Lars used the distraction to move closer and press himself into the
shadows.
Now it was a matter of patience and time.