Chapter 5: Warmth, Drafts, and a Pair of Star-Crossed Lovers
Exactly seven minutes before the Sorcerer Norge's shop closed, Berg arrived to pick up Mathias, leaving Lukas alone under Emil's scrutinizing gaze. Lukas tried to ignore it, set to cleaning up their used dishes, rearranging his spells, or taking inventory of his supplies… Anything to keep that nosy apprentice of his out of his business, yet Emil always seemed to be over his shoulder with some damn smirk on his face. Really, it was unbecoming of Emil's usual charm. It wasn't long before Lukas faltered.
"All right. What do you want?" he grumbled.
Lukas's ire only made Emil's grin wider. "You move quickly, boss."
"Don't you pull that on me, Emil," the magician rolled his eyes, "you haven't called me 'boss' since you were nine."
Emil shrugged. "Worth a try," he answered. "That aside, it's about the fisherman."
"Mathias? What about him?" Lukas's attempt at false innocence made his voice crack.
"You've gotten awfully close," said Emil, "it's not like you to show that much emotion in front of a stranger."
Lukas snorted. "Please excuse me, dear apprentice, but my beloved mentor has just passed away," he replied bitterly.
"But why would you go to him, of all people?" questioned Emil, "You've only known him for several days, most of which you spent shutting the door in his face and calling him a fool, as opposed to myself, who has been your faithful apprentice for years now."
"I don't know!" cried Lukas, "I just… It's this damn contract, I'm sure of it, binding me to that idiot, making me do terrible, embarrassing things like burrow into his arms like a child!"
"By grace, Sorcerer. You might actually be a fool."
Lukas glared at his apprentice. "Go to your room, Emil."
"I'm not nine anymore, boss," Emil drawled teasingly. He turned to leave but stopped in his tracks. "Contract or not, Mathias will be important to you in more ways than one. It doesn't take magical powers to see, Sorcerer."
"Leave me be, Emil." Lukas collapsed on the couch, arms folded across his stomach.
This time, Emil followed his superior's orders. The sound of his bedroom door closing echoed softly through the house.
It sent shivers down Lukas's spine.
XxX
The state of the two kingdoms was all but forcibly ignored when, a week after the bombing of Barrell, a sharp knock sounded at the door of the Sorcerer Norge.
"Door," called Mathias, who had figured out a way to sweep the floor with his feet.
Emil answered the door to find an Olienn Soldier, dark-haired and clad in Queen Yao's colors of red and silver. Emil immediately reached out to embrace the soldier, who patted him on the back with an armored hand.
"What brings you here today, Leon?" Emil asked.
"Sorry, Em, but it's for royal business," Leon answered sadly, "The Great and Powerful Wizard King Ivan has waged war on his queen, The Divine and Formidable Sorcerer Queen Yao. I'm here to gather registered magicians from all over the land for Queen Yao's war, and the Sorcerer Norge is a registered magician under the Queen's court of Oliennon."
A terrifying look crossed the Sorcerer's face. "Tell your queen that I won't do it." Leon was allowed to bow and bid Emil goodbye before Lukas slammed the door behind him, grumbling something about idiot kings who didn't deserve to call themselves "Great Wizards."
Barely five minutes later, there was another knock on the door. Emil answered it expectantly, only to have his hopes dashed when he opened it to find an Acacian soldier, covered head-to-toe in golden armor, standing on the threshold. The soldier cleared his throat before reading something from the scroll he carried.
"The Divine and Formidable Sorcerer Queen Yao has waged war on his king, The Great and Powerful Wizard King Ivan. I'm here to gather registered magicians from all over the land for King Ivan's war, and the Sorcerer Norge is a registered magician under the King's court of Acacia."
With a puff of smoke, the wooden door slammed shut in the soldier's face.
"Absolutely not," said Norge, wisps of vapor swirling from his fingertips.
"You're registered under both kingdoms?" asked Mathias, eyebrow raised, "why not just choose one?"
"Queen Yao and King Ivan are close. They both have my information. It's quite a bother, I've never actually been to Oliennon before."
"That's stupid."
Lukas crinkled his nose. "When you are in my profession, Mathias, you find that stupidity is ubiquitous."
"I don't even know what that word means."
"Case in point." The sorcerer huffed. He briefly glanced at Mathias before turning on his heel and gliding out of the room.
Mathias stared after him. Was he just imagining it, or was Norge getting surlier and surlier with each passing day? In the weeks since Mathias and Lukas had signed the contract, it seemed that the Sorcerer spent more time in his private study than anywhere else, leaving Mathias and Emil to manage the shop themselves. The only good that came out of it was that Mathias was quickly picking up little tidbits of magic here and there. He could mix a decent enough love potion with Emil's help, and knew the explosive consequences that came with mixing mandrake root with fresh nutmeg. There were two utterly stagnant things about his life with the Sorcerer, however: his granite hands and Lukas's absolute disinterest in forming any sort of friendship with Mathias. He briefly considered altering one of his love potions to become a sort of friendship potion, then realized that it would require the mixing of mandrake and nutmeg and decided that it would be better to use non-magical techniques to win Lukas's affections. He didn't know how he would go about doing this, but there had to be a way. Lukas couldn't remain closed off forever.
That afternoon, Mathias received an invitation from misters Berwald and Tino Väinämöinen-Fisher announcing their return from their honeymoon and requesting that Mathias join them for tea the next day at four PM. Not wanting to be faulted for his laziness, Mathias showed up at Väinämöinen-Fisher household at 3:55 wearing his second-nicest shirt and trousers. He was greeted by a fresh-faced Tino, who welcomed him with open arms.
"I see your honeymoon's done wonders," commented Mathias, "where'd ya go again?"
"The beaches of Veraquila, down in southern Honnel," swooned Tino, "Berwald got us a lovely room with a veranda that overlooked the sea, and we ate all kinds of wonderful food, and…"
As Tino rambled on about his and Berwald's honeymoon, he led Mathias to their sitting room, where Berwald was already waiting with a kettle and three teacups. He stood, clasped Mathias's stone hand, and drew him in for a hug.
"'S been a while, brother," he said.
"Only two weeks," Mathias grinned. He sat down. "So, how are ya doing?"
In perfect harmony, Berwald and Tino rattled off details about their trip to the beaches of Veraquila, how beautiful the weather was, how delicious the food was, and how Berwald had gotten so drunk that he had fallen down the stairs twice and Tino had to carry him back to their hotel room, at which Berwald interrupted with a hand pressed to Tino's mouth.
"He doesn't need t' hear everythin' we did," he said, blushing. Tino simply laughed and poured the tea, asking what Mathias had been up to while they were gone.
Mathias related everything, from his unsuccessful trip to Crownheim to his contract with the Sorcerer Norge to the bombing of Barell, all the way up to the draft notices the day before. He then asked, "You do a little magic, don't ya, Tino? Have ya gotten drafted as well?"
Tino chuckled. "Me? No, I'm not a registered magician. My powers are too weak for me to even try. The Sorcerer getting drafted, though? I'm not surprised. He's the real deal." With a wave of his fingers, the tea kettle floated over to Mathias and refilled his cup.
"'S a stupid war," scoffed Berwald, "they're a couple in love, saw it fer myself. I made their marital bed during m' apprenticeship."
"Maybe they're having an argument?" suggested Mathias.
"Bad enough to start a war? I don't think so." The tea kettle finished replenishing Mathias's drink and floated back to its spot at the center of the table. With another wave of Tino's hand, the teacup rose, only to stop and hover slightly tilted in front of Mathias's lips. For a novice magician, Tino was quite talented. Mathias took a sip and smiled.
"You've wedded quite the catch," he said appreciatively. Berwald beamed with pride. "What brought you to marry my brother, of all people?"
Tino set down Mathias's teacup, hiding a sly smile with one hand. "Oh, he's quite a romantic, this one. He had me falling for him, quite literally, when we first met, and he's had me falling for him every day since then."
"It's been, what, four years since you two met, though?"
"Every day since then, and every day from now on."
Mathias decided that couples in love were very odd and changed the topic. "I've been hanging around the Sorcerer Norge a lot nowadays," he said, "or at least trying to."
"He's a cold fella," Berwald sighed, "tried t' say hi t' him in th' market square. He jus' glared an' moved on."
"He's quite affectionate towards that apprentice of his. Emil, was it? I think they may be related."
"Or lovers," smirked Berwald. This earned him a pinch from Tino.
A brief, sudden spark of jealousy blazed through Mathias. "Lotsa people fancy li'l Emil," he rolled his eyes, "ya wouldn't believe the sheer number of people who come 'round, just to see him. Can I have another sip, Tino?"
"I see him in town quite often with one of Queen Yao's soldiers," replied Tino, levitating Mathias's cup once more. "They've been the talk of the town quite recently. But I'm not one for gossip," chuckled Tino. He took another sip of his own tea before adding, "you and the good sorcerer have had a fair share of rumors to your name as of late, I hear."
Mathias's skin prickled. "Really? Like what?"
"Some say that you've been put under his spell," Tino said.
"Now hold on, Lukas ain't that mean," interjected Mathias, "sure, he's a little cold, and he's under a curse that makes odd things happen to the temperature, but he can be kinda sweet sometimes. We made a contract, after all."
Tino shook his head sadly. "That's not all. They say you're foolish enough to try to win that cold heart of his," he said, "and that you're bound to fail."
Anger flared in Mathias and he shot up from his seat, sending his chair skittering backwards with a loud screech. Berwald immediately went to restrain his brother. "I'll show them, then," he growled, "Failure, my foot! The Sorcerer 'n' I will be best friends before ya know it, an' he'll break my curse!"
Upon hearing Mathias's passionate speech, Tino's face relaxed into a smile. "Oh, good," he sighed, relieved, "I was waiting for that." He proceeded to pour Mathias another cup of tea, and as the teacup drew closer to Mathias, so did Tino's gaze. Lilac eyes met cerulean in a stare filled with jolts of electricity. "I believe in you, Mathias," said Tino, "you'll have that curse broken in no time."
"You're damn right, I will," Mathias grinned.
XxX
The sun shone over Crownheim, scattering light off the gilded rooftops of the city. The rosy stone of the streets was as bright as ever beneath the feet of the ones who tread upon it, yet despite the usual blinding brilliance of Acacia's crown city and capitol, an aura of gloom hung in the air. Tension took the form of hushed whispers delivering news from Barell. Queen Yao had attacked. Many had died. The fires could be seen all the way from the coast. War is imminent, if not already here.
None were gloomier than Acacia's own King Ivan, who sat in his study, darkened by the heavy velvet curtains obscuring the office's windows. Under his rule, one of his towns had been blown to ashes by his own queen. He must have learned we were after Pon, he mused miserably, tapping his pen against the marble surface of his desk. Acacia was his kingdom, Yao was his queen, and Barrell was his town. Ivan couldn't help but feel guilt coil in the pit of his stomach. As king, his duty was to protect his kingdom and the towns within. As king, his duty was to maintain good relations with his own goddamn queen.
I have failed my duty as king. I am to blame for this war.
Despair tore at King Ivan's insides, and he hurled his pen across the room. It shattered upon hitting the wall, its components skittering across the marble floor of his study, rattling like the thoughts within Ivan's skull. He placed his head on his desk and closed his eyes. There had to be something he could do.
He found his thoughts wandering to a recent memory, only from a few months back. Queen Yao lay in their marital bed, which resided in his palace at Irale, carved by an apprentice carpenter with a wealth of talent. His raven hair snaked across the silk pillows, and Ivan amused himself by arranging his lover's locks into the shape of a folding fan.
"I'm only holding still because you pamper me so," Yao said haughtily.
Ivan smiled in response. "You say that, but you really do love me."
Yao snorted, a very un-queenly action. "Is that a good thing, though?"
"Of course it is," answered Ivan, leaning to kiss Yao's brow. "Our union brought peace to both our kingdoms. What more could we desire?"
Yao sat up, disturbing Ivan's careful arrangement of his hair. "To not be treated as your subordinate, to start," he grumbled, "Before our marriage, they called me 'Emperor.' To be demoted to the rank of 'queen,' a rank subservient to yours, is more than humiliating."
"A king needs his queen," Ivan replied simply.
At this, Yao glared. Ivan's oversimplification of politics was going to lead to strife, or worse, and he would be the one who had to pick up the pieces. "Explain yourself," he prodded.
Ivan lay back in the bed, hands behind his head, eyes resting on the glimmering silk of the sheets pooled around his waist. He could feel Yao's gaze on him, burning with expectation. The right words had to be spoken in order to placate his disgruntled queen.
"Well?" asked Yao.
"We are like… gold and silver," Ivan whispered carefully as the words collected themselves on his tongue, "or yin and yang. We are a duality, there is no subservience." He smiled. "You are as formidable a power as I, and it is only right that our marriage reflect that. First and foremost, we are sovereign rulers who happen to be in love." Glassy violet eyes rested their gaze on Yao, illuminated by the moon shining through the ceiling skylight.
Nothing else had to be said. Their lips met, hidden from the world by the dark curtain of Yao's hair.
It had been a few months since their last truly loving tryst. Since then, contact between King Ivan and Queen Yao had dwindled down to cursory letters, brief meetings, and official documents. And now we're at war, Ivan thought woefully, we vowed to withstand the trials of time and distance, yet he persists on playing games with me. King Ivan moved to pick up the pieces of his broken pen, setting them on his desk. His thick fingers fumbled as he attempted to reassemble the delicate mechanisms of his pen and soon, it was as good as new, if not a little scratched and dented.
He sighed. If only his relationship with Queen Yao could be the same.
AN: I'm so sorry! It's been quite a while since I've updated this story. With college being college, I haven't had the capacity to work on any longer fics. It's vacation, though! I'm hoping to get some writing done before I get back to school. It's been a while, though, so I still need to get back into the story.
I finished reading Naruto, though... It's like it's 2007 all over again OTL