Kyou Kara Maou – Yuuri's Hot Date
Summary: Wolfram challenges Yuuri to have a date with a girl. Loosely part of my Epilogue story arc.
Disclaimer: I have no rights to Kyou Kara Maou of course.
AN: pitchblende is uranium ore – highly radioactive.
Chapter 6 – Pitchblende
In port in Cavalcade, Manfred intercepted the mail again. He'd been hiding it from his wife Cecilie for a week, unable to make up his mind whether to go to Kieran's debutante ball. There was no question of whether to tell Cecilie about his illegitimate daughter. That would be a permanent 'No'. I don't have that right.
But the latest mail included a note from Efram, begging him to come home. That was a different story. Wolfram's blown a gasket … might hurt himself… he broke off his engagement with Yuuri and… hit the baths?! … wants Yuuri to date a girl. Conrad says come fast. P.S. Please don't let Aldrich send me to Donaghie!
Hit the baths?!? What were you thinking, pretty vixen… Manfred considered the fracture lines on his son's psyche, and sighed. Heroic self-destruction…
Efram, of course, was in greater danger of being hit by a meteorite – no one was going to betroth him to his sister. Aldrich would handle Efram in something under ten seconds. Of course, Aldrich could probably handle Wolfram, too. Though he might have too many irons in the fire right now.
Actually, Aldrich handling anyone with a suicidal streak, so soon after Glynda, was a really bad idea. Manfred might have to take care of Aldrich, too. Though that was not a prospect Manfred objected to. Cecilie might object. Tough. She has her lovers, I have mine.
And he hadn't decided not to see his daughter's ball… I do want to see it.
"Cecilie!" he called down the gangway. "We're headed home now."
"What? We had plans this evening with Heathcrife –"
Speaking of her lovers… "So send word we can't make it, and then make like a wind user. Wolfram's in trouble. We need to go now."
-oOo-
Yuuri had his feet on the windowsill, mulling over Spitzweg's request for drought relief, when Wolfram knocked. He stood and waved Wolfram to a seat in front of his desk, and resumed his own.
"Thank you for your note earlier, Lord Wolfram. That was… a great weight off my mind."
"Mine as well," said Wolfram softly.
Pause.
"I-" they both said simultaneously. Then both waved the other to go first. And grinned sheepishly.
Yuuri decided he was king around here. "I was just reviewing the final agenda for the aristocrat's summit and the… ball arrangements." He sighed. "I probably understood nothing of the latter. Anyway, I never did get my briefing yesterday. Would it be possible to…?"
"Yes, Sire," said Wolfram. "I was hoping to do that now." OK, business it is. I can do business. I've been a courtier all my life. "By now, I imagine you understand that the primary reason for the ball is to kick off marriage negotiations for the female heir, Kieran von Donaghie. Her husband then becomes the Lord von Donaghie…"
They didn't end up talking about anything personal for the next couple hours. And after the first few minutes, it became fairly comfortable. Until the end… at which point, not to saying personal would be… unnatural. This is the dangerous stretch. They both thought it.
Well, we both care about our kids, thought Wolfram. "Sire, I meant to warn you yesterday. I've forbidden Greta to attend the ball in a gown, of course." He smiled. "You know how Greta is these days – she's sure to try to bypass me."
Yuuri considered this for about half a second. Don't go there with him, he decided. It's a nice dress. And we're still too close to the last fight. And Greta is my daughter. "I'll keep it in mind," he said wryly. "Well. I hope the children and I will see you at dinner then, Lord Wolfram."
Wolfram accepted the dismissal gracefully, and left. That… wasn't wonderful. But we worked together successfully, even parented together a little. It's a start.
Wolfram decided he'd been doing entirely too much of his political job and his fiancé business, and not nearly enough parenting. In truth, that was his favorite time – when he decided the rest of the day was for the children. He headed for the nursery, but this time, he let the toddlers see him, with the perennial result.
"CHEWWWY!!!" Frieda hit head first straight into his thigh. Bertram was none too stable walking, but ran OK. Wolfram's face broke into its widest possible grin. He held his arms out -
-oOo-
"Wolfram!" cried Manfred, bracing himself for impact against a counter, as the little blond teenager barreled in, so Manfred could swoop him up into the air for a hug and a kiss. "Oh, I love you, I love you! Welcome back!" He buried his face into the unruly blond cowlicks and snuggled, every moment he could, until the boy wriggled to get down.
Wolfram stopped, and looked up at his father for guidance, when he realized there was somebody else in the cottage's clinic, where they stood.
"Lady Danielle von Donaghie, I'd like you to meet my son, Wolfram von Bielenfeld. And," he added as Aldrich caught up, "have you met my cousin, Aldrich von Bielenfeld?"
"Why no. I'm pleased to meet you both." Danielle looked a great deal like her first cousin Cecilie, though not so much that anyone would mistake the two. Danielle was visibly older. Grief lines carved her face, though she smiled a brave public smile. She lay sideways on a couch, her back propped up on the armrest.
"Wolfram, you are positively adorable!" she declared. "Did you know that I am your second cousin?" Wolfram shook his head politely. "May I give you a kinsman's hug, dear?" Wolfram nodded politely and went over to endure a hug, even returning it a little and kissing the woman on the cheek. He gave her a charming little smile – all as he'd been coached since before he could remember. He didn't mean any of it. Indeed, he'd far rather not have to hug and kiss perfect strangers, but when he didn't behave like a perfect child, he would go days without seeing Hahaue. So he was a picture perfect child. Then he could see her while she worked, even if he wasn't allowed to speak or play.
He went back to his father's good leg, huddling against him, though with perfect decorum. This whole thing was a cheat. First days at Chichiue's cottage were supposed to include big hugs all around. He wanted to see Chichiue kiss Aldrich, too. And at his father's, he wasn't ever required to act like a perfect child. Wolfram wished his mother's kinswoman would go away so they could play.
"Oh!" cried Danielle suddenly, doubling over, hugging her abdomen.
Aldrich saw the blood before Manfred said anything. He swooped Wolfram up, hiding his view and getting him out of the clinic quickly. "Let's unpack and make cookies until Chichiue's done with work, OK, pretty vixen?" He feared that wouldn't be soon.
A couple hours later, Manfred and his first advanced student, Annette, had Danielle resting comfortably, clean and changed into a fresh nightgown. Annette headed out with the bloodstained laundry, to fetch an ambulance coach to bear Danielle back to her room at the Institute's medical hostel.
Manfred held Danielle's hand, and asked quietly, "Would you like me to have the baby returned to Donaghie for burial? Or, we have a beautiful plot here. Annette can walk with you there tomorrow."
"It was another monster, wasn't it," said Danielle dully. "I don't care what you do with it. Or was it?" She looked up with sudden hope. "Was it – a normal child? It was because I rode here from Donaghie that I miscarried?"
Manfred shook his head. "The baby was malformed. He was beautiful in his way, but your body aborted him because he wasn't viable. Shall I put a name on his gravestone? No? Baby von Donaghie? Or… simply a blank stone?" She finally consented to the last.
"Is it me?" she asked in a dead voice. There were no tears left, Manfred saw sadly. He suspected she'd cried an ocean over the years. "Six monsters…"
"Shh, please don't call them monsters," he murmured, caressing her hand. The fetus had horns, and hands with six fingers, feet with no toes, and other more serious functional problems. But that wasn't the point. He'd been desperately wanted, and deserved to be grieved. Calling him a monster helped no one.
"In truth, Danielle, I can find nothing wrong with you. If you've had six babies with such problems, then… I believe it's your husband who cannot have viable children. You said Lord Donaghie couldn't accompany you because of health problems?"
"Oh, he's always been sickly. It's ironic. He's the last aristocrat in all Donaghie. All the others died in the Great Troll and Demon War. He alone survived because he was so sickly."
"Could you describe these illnesses?"
"Oh, we've had the best healers, true healers and fire healers both, but… He keeps getting cancers, all benign, all cureable. But then, more grow."
Manfred frowned. "Strange. You say he's always had them, there was no starting point?"
"Well, he was a spelunker in his youth. One time he got lost in the beautiful caves above Pitchblende, and spent a few bad nights there before the rescuers found him. He says that's when his mysterious illnesses began. But the healers tell us that doesn't seem to explain anything. That's why I came here to the Institute. I was hoping, Bielenfeld…"
Manfred nodded thoughtfully. "Well, I'll research the matter. But I believe your coach is here now. Let's get you back to your own bed and servants."
Late at night, Wolfram snuggly warm and sound asleep between them, Manfred told Aldrich the strange tale.
"Sweet Shinou, there's a town named Pitchblende?" Aldrich exclaimed.
"I've never been there," replied Manfred. "Why?"
"In Trondheim, when a mine strikes pitchblende, it's evacuated and sealed with skull and crossbones."
"Troll superstition?" suggested Manfred.
"No. The same symptoms you're describing for Dougal von Donaghie. I met a man who slept near a pitchblende vein once. They struck through to it the next day, closed down an entire gold mine. He wasn't as lucky as Dougal. The cancers were malignant. Manfred… we have to shut down that town. Or bring real mining experts in from Trondheim to decide what has to be sealed."
"Selling troll superstition in Donaghie won't be easy – they never forgave the last Maou for letting Trondheim join Shin Makoku after the war."
"I'll find a way," promised Aldrich. He shook his head and cuddled Manfred and Wolfram tighter. "What a sad, sad situation. Let some good come of it." It was his von Trondheim mother's people's custom – immediately find a positive action to take, to redeem a terrible thing. Every curse required a blessing in response.
-oOo-
The dressmaker's girl – not Deanna – came for Greta's fitting while Tomas / Kieran was in her room. Greta hid Kieran in the closet rather than explain to the dressmaker why there was a boy in the room. Kieran peeked at the dress for a bit – pretty! but not as pretty as her own, she decided – but was distracted by a sudden whoop of "CHEWWWY!" behind her. It wasn't muffled by a castle wall. She ducked under some clothes and found two eye-holes cut through a simple wall. So she looked.
It was clearly the nursery. That makes sense. When the babies cry, Greta can look from here to see if the nannies are handling it, rather than having to dress and walk around the hall.
Wolfram von Bielenfeld is beautiful. Those toddlers are beautiful! And so sweet and happy! The green-blond boy looks just like Efram. Oh, he's so huggable! And that little flame-top has spirit. Oh, you go, girl! Kieran enjoyed turning heads in a pretty dress now and then, but at heart, she was all tomboy. Most days she wore pants. She liked Frieda's spunk.
Wolfram debriefed the nanny about how their day went, and clambered onto the giant pile of floor pillows for some wrestling, tumbling, ball rolling fun with them.
"Ho, Wolfram! Mind if I come in?" Sylvain von Tarkenburg appeared, the young man Efram suggested as Kieran's best choice from Bielenfeld. "I haven't met your kids yet. Oh, this is obviously little Bertram!" Sylvain swooped the baby into the air to pealing giggles. "You look so like your brother! Yes you do!"
"He does," agreed Wolfram. "And this gorgeous little hellion," he wrestled Frieda down to squeals of laughter, "is my foster-daughter Frieda von Gratz, Adelbert's daughter."
"Well, I'm very pleased to meet you, young Frieda," Sylvain said, holding out a hand to shake with her. "Aw, Wolfram, this is a great nursery! So you don't drag Bertram around court all day anymore?"
"No, only when he was in a baby basket. I want them both to play and be kids, not be on their best court behavior all the time like I was." He sighed. "You sure love kids, Sylvain. That could be a problem if you catch Kieran's fancy – she's a bit young for it yet."
"Oh, I don't know. That could go either way," replied Sylvain. "I mean, I can wait – I just borrow other people's kids to play with in the meantime. But… Lord Donaghie's in really bad shape, Wolfram. You've got to wonder what he's holding out for, what would be enough. His daughter's future settled, and the domain, sure, but… He has strong will, to have made it so long, in such pain. Aldrich says Kieran's a strong lady as well, mature for her age. She might want to give him a grandchild, before he lets go."
Kieran gasped softly. Her eyes sprouted tears and she put her hand to her mouth. He really understands!
Wolfram held his hand out to shake his. "I think you're right. She'd be damned lucky to have you, Sylvain."
"Thank you. Or you," Sylvain added. "I heard about your split with Yuuri. You'd make a fine Lord Donaghie, Wolfram."
Wolfram hugged Bertram and put his face in the slightly green springy flock of cowlicks. "I'd take Yuuri and the kids over Bielenfeld and Donaghie. If he really wants me. But if he doesn't, I'll go. I don't know where I'll go, or what I'll do, but I'll go."
Sylvain backpedaled fast to get Wolfram out of that funk, and soon they were all laughing again.
Greta's fitting took a long time, and the late afternoon proved a popular time to drop by and play with the toddlers. Kieran watched Adelbert, Conrad, Annissina, Gwendal, Efram, Raven, Franklin Lord Trondheim and his unmarried heir Erick, and Aldrich all drop by, before Wolfram himself left to dress for dinner.
This is a fun castle, thought Kieran. Nobody ever comes to visit Donagal – it's so far to travel. I'd like to live in a bustling place like this.
Kieran was starting to get bored, though, until Yuuri came in, alone.
The king told the nanny he'd dress for the evening after dinner – it was just family tonight. She could go ahead to her own supper. Then he romped on the floor a bit and dressed the kids for dinner himself, talking to them about their day, and telling them a few things he'd noticed that he thought might interest them. Actually, Kieran realized, he probably had to look hard during his day for something to tell his kids about.
She'd never seen a black-haired, black-eyed man before, and with such a pretty skin color. He was a little subdued – she gathered his rift with Wolfram was painful to them both – but he was upbeat and easy-going with the kids. I'm not surprised Wolfram thinks he's a keeper, thought Kieran.
Yuuri's next stop was Greta's room, of course. Kieran felt seriously guilty about eavesdropping as Greta's father took the time to tell her how it was going with Wolfram, and why he was still determined to date a girl, at least once, before calling the engagement back on.
He doesn't talk down to her, realized Kieran. I guess that makes sense. He became Maou when he was her age, and he's not really much older than Greta.
Greta left directly with him and the babies for dinner. Kieran was looking around the room trying to decide her next move when Aldrich knocked on the door. She opened it in relief.
"Care to dine with me, my lady?" he invited with a grin.
-oOo-
"Lady von Donaghie is requesting that you father a child for her," Friedrich concluded to Manfred. Aldrich's father Friedrich ruled Bielenfeld back then. "Manfred, I'd like to tell her yes. I know this is a very hard thing, and I can't order you to do it. But I'd like you to do it.
"You were kind to her. She trusts you. She saw your child Wolfram and fell in love with a dream. Danielle looks like Cecilie, and your child together would look like Wolfram, and fit right in, not lift any eyebrows too high. Dougal von Donaghie would accept the child as his, be overjoyed with him, raise him to rule Donaghie after he dies. That could be fairly soon. And we'd keep the matter absolutely confidential.
"Speak, Manfred. What do you think?"
In the end, Manfred agreed. With his healing gifts, he could tell when conception took place. Then Danielle von Donaghie departed promptly to make love with her husband, possibly among the happiest lovemaking they'd ever had. She returned to the Institute for her last trimester, unwilling to take any risks with a baby she considered her very last chance. Manfred delivered her of a perfect baby girl.
Here and there across the years, he'd run across Kieran – she was heir to a domain, after all. But Manfred never saw or heard from Danielle again.
-oOo-
"So, you accomplished some good spying with Greta," said Aldrich, after he and Kieran had finished their meal in her room. Aldrich had already reviewed the protocols for the dance tomorrow night. "Any questions? Conclusions?"
Kieran considered. "You said ten private meetings after the ball?"
"Up to ten, as a guideline," qualified Aldrich. "Try to reserve that for the people you're seriously considering. But this is a rare opportunity, and obviously one of the most important decisions you'll ever make. Don't interview casually, yet don't skimp either, sort of thing."
"Well, I know three of them already."
"There's no rush –"
"But I know that I want to meet with them privately," insisted Kieran. "Sylvain von Tarkenburg. Wolfram von Bielenfeld. And Yuuri Maou."
Aldrich stared at his strong-minded and self-assured young blonde charge. "Kieran… you do understand that Wolfram and the Maou are engaged. They're raising children together. And you'll dance with both of them at the ball."
Kieran met his eye directly. "And their engagement is currently on hiatus." She softened her tone to make it easier for Aldrich to concede, although she was perfectly willing to insist if she had to. "I find Sylvain's suit quite compelling. But I want to meet with the other two alone as well. Only if they're willing, of course."
-oOo-
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