Authors Note: Yeah, I know. I haven't updated in forever and ever, therefore I added a bit more at the end of the chapter than I originally intended to. I am currently writing chapter eight and hoping to post it as soon as possible. I sat up all night to finish this piece, and I am currently considering putting this story on break, but I won't be making any decisions before I'm determined to whether I'll be able to post the next chapter within the next two weeks or not.
Short explanation: King Sararegi has, in this story, brought Small and Big Shimaron together into one kingdom. How he managed to do so between when Yuuri died, and now, is a completely different story. The nation now goes by the name of Shimaron. Enjoy!
CHAPTER 7: Reflection Of The Past
The morning sun brightened up my face, causing me to squint. Hahaue was silently eating beside me, sometimes throwing quick glances in my direction to see whether I ate or not – which I didn't. I was rapidly playing with my food, staring into nowhere. My thoughts were focused on the Demon Mirror, which was waiting in my room and I had come to realize that nervousity and excitement did not go hand in hand.
"Why aren't you eating?" Hahaue murmured tiredly. I didn't bother replying as he clearly knew the answer to that; I didn't eat low classed meals. I just didn't.
"You know you'll never have enough energy to travel through time and space if you don't eat tha-"
"Will you shut up about food?" I snarled. Hahaue straightened his back, staring at me until I looked back. By the look on my face he could clearly tell I was annoyed, and any normal person would probably have backed off – but he just jumped right into the cat fight.
"What's the matter?" he asked calmly. I muttered something under my breath that even I didn't understand, and was about to actually start to eat because I wasn't in the mood for chit-chatting, not even with Hahaue. But something, or someone interrupted me. The door opened with a loud crack, allowing Raveryn to enter.
"Heika, I carry an important message from-" he started, but I didn't let him finish. I shot up from my seat, pointing a straight finger at the door.
"Get ou-" Hahaue grabbed my arm before I could finish, squeezing it until I sat down. I rubbed it slightly, glaring at Raveryn who had no business here – he should have been doing my laundry right now.
"Come in, Raveryn," Hahaue said calmly. Raveryn stepped forward, dropping a small piece of paper on the table. My eyes traced from my intolerant servant, to the note. I gave it the ugliest look that had ever found place on my face – yes, it was just paper but it was what was written on it that concerned me.
"This came just now. For His.. His Majesty," Raveryn stuttered.
"Thank you." Hahaue blew the purple haired man a smile. He vanished immediately, leaving the two of us with the note. Hahaue nodded towards it.
"Go on, read what's on it." I grabbed it quickly, I didn't want Hahaue to get word of whatever was on it in case it was from.. Someone special. My eyes traced the paper quickly, and I could almost feel the frown growing on my forehead. Hahaue watched intensely as I read it, which I did over and over again before throwing it into a random direction.
"So it wasn't from her?" Hahaue giggled slightly, continuing to eat. I hated how he seemed to enjoy my angering moments, causing me to push the plate off the table in anger. It met the floor with a 'bang,' food and broken glass covering the red carpet.
"I hate humans!," I yelled. Hahaue's facial expression changed from an amused, to a serious one while he bent down to pick up my mess. I was about to call one of the maids, Hahaue wasn't supposed to clean up after me, it was their job. But I didn't get the chance to, as said person spoke up.
"Now, now Ronja, calm down," he said. His voice was high pitched, like always when he wanted me to listen and stop being what he called childish. "Humans are our allies. Peace is an important matter, and we can thank your father for that this country is not at war right at this moment."
"Especially Shimaron," I yelled, ignoring what Hahaue had just said. He sat up, brushing dust off his clothing before looking at me. I knew I wasn't going to like what he was about to say, but I would hear it anyway.
"So that's why you don't want to marry king Sararegi?"
I didn't reply and decided to leave. Hahaue didn't deserve hearing the words that was about to forcefully escape my lips. I pressed them close in order not to say something that I'd later regret.
"Is it because of Beatrice?" My movements stopped, and my heart started beating faster. How Hahaue had guessed that I was tense because Beatrice hadn't replied to any of my pigeons, I did not know, and I surely didn't want to find out.
"Tell Raveryn to deal with king Sararegi's suggestions," I replied, once again ignoring his questions. With that I left the room, hoping not to bump into someone stupid.
The pink wool got stuck between his fingers as someone entered the Great Hall. The blonde and current ruler of New Makoku was pretty used to being alone, but at the moment it seemed a purple haired, young man craved his company. His hair was ruffled, his coat staggered like a bat. The blonde shook his head and sighed, attempting to continue knitting – but his fingers would not obey.
"G-Geika," a slim voice stuttered. Said person sighed, putting down the wool. He closed his eyes a mere second, before they met the other pair of green eyes that were eagerly staring at him. The high-ranked one nodded in reply. "Yes, Raveryn?"
The truth was, Wolfram von Shibuya-Bielefeld knew exactly why the young servant, aged only twenty Mazoku years had come to see him. He could judge by just looking at him, his wild hair and ripped clothes. He'd been in a confrontation with his son, which seemed to not have ended the way Raveryn Rapunzell had wanted to.
"It's about His Majesty." Wolfram raised an eyebrow. Was it now?
"Go on," he replied, picking up the lost wool from his lap. The soft sound of one stick hitting another filled the room as he started knitting. It was a beautiful day indeed, the sun shone through the glassy windows surrounding the Great Hall. The afternoon glow brightened up the room, no, the whole state of New Makoku.
The lavender haired man sighed, his hand resting atop his eyebrows. He closed his eyes as if trying to figure out what to say, or rather; how to formulate it.
"It's just, His Majesty," he finally said. "Sometimes, I don't know what to do about him. I fear I might even lose my one and only job." Raveryn was clearly worried about this, and had put much thought in what he was saying. Wolfram nodded slowly.
"Well it worries me as well," was the reply. "His passionate hate for humans. He does, however, seem to pay special interest to Beatrice, daughter of Histo Cruyff. If you remember him." Raveryn's facial expression changed from tired, do dull.
"Remember? Who could forget?" he said, the images of a blank and shiny head appearing in his mind. A very blank, and shiny head.
It seemed that Histo Cruyff and his daughter had visited the castle on many occasions, though they had lessened when the king had died. Raveryn himself had only been a few years old back then, though living at the castle with his mother who had worked as a maid he remembered the odd events. Beatrice had pulled his hair. Pulled and pulled, saying things like 'it was all hers,' or 'how he should show respect to her Dad by balding himself.' Histo Cruyff had laughed at this. Laughed. But His Majesty had done worse things, things that were beyond allowed to mention in Raveryn's fantasizing mind. Let's leave it for later.
"In theory, Ronja refuses king Sararegi's proposals only because he is of another breed." Wolfram's sharp voice appeared as a butcher's knife in the head of the younger Mazoku, cutting through his thoughts without concern.
"Wolfram Geika, please excuse my rash language," Raveryn said. "But that is rather.. Hypocritical. Especially due to the information you're sharing." Wolfram only smiled at this.
"Careful now, Ronja might hear you," he said, finishing a line of the amazing amount of pink he was creating. "However, I think Ronja will realize that obsessing over Beatrice and ignoring king Sararegi at the same time just won't go hand in hand."
Before Raveryn Rapunzell could reply to His Highness's wise words, the doors latterly blew up. In came the one and only son of Wolfram and the previous king of New Makoku. He looked flustered, annoyed wasn't an explanation of how he felt. Disappointed might suit better.
"Speaking of the sun," Wolfram smiled. Raveryn didn't leave it up to the soon to be king to tell him where to go, he did his duty as a servant and bowed in direction of the higher ranked opposites in the room before making his leave.
"It doesn't work." The frustration in the Soukoku's voice was so clear and loud that if Günter had been present, even he would have noticed. His Mother's lips shaped into a smile, if there was one person in the big wide world who did not understand the word 'patience' it was truly the youngster.
"Patience, Ronja," Wolfram said, quite ironically. "You must give it time."
The black haired boy clenched his wrist. Give it time? As in wait? Now that was something he didn't like the sound of.
"But-" His Mother raised his hand, preventing him from speaking further.
"Since you are to become the Maou, it will surely work," said the green eyed. "But I will only let you go on one condition." To this, Ronja nodded in agreement. There wasn't anything he wasn't willing to give in order to save his Father from fate.
"Understood, Hahaue." – the emerald eyes shone towards him.
"You must promise me to never reveal your true identity."
I desperately searched my room for any clean and empty notes. The walls, the roof, my commode and closet – I even checked the carpet. I sighed in agony when finally finding a block of them at the bed in the foot end. The sooner the better.
I lay down in my bed, trying to concentrate on my letter, or rather reply to the human king of Shimaron, but seeing as though the Demon Mirror was placed right beside me it seemed impossible. I had finally been given the permission from Hahaue to go back in time, but the Demon Mirror seemed to have other plans.
My thoughts wandered for a second. Hahaue. Hahaue and his somewhat sudden-serious-popup chats. My black eyes carefully scanned the empty piece of paper in front of me. Maybe he was right, my Mother. Maybe this is king Sararegi felt like when never getting a reply.
My pen was itching to type. Craving for it. I carefully nibbled on it. There was no way Beatrice would ever want a "small guy" like me, as she liked to refer to me as, was there? I frowned, even if there was later, she was to taste her own medicine though I liked begging.
I rubbed off the dear Sararegi part with the back of my hand. The 'dear' could confuse him, but I decided to let 'Sararegi' stay on paper. I added Heika – but just to be polite. As if he was suited to be a king anyway, the way he looked made it seem like he paid more attention to mirrors than he did to what happen nationwide.
My heart, I wrote. My heart is a battleground. I frowned. The first thing that stroke me was – it sounded too poetic. Then again, how was I ever gonna' explain to the loaf that I wasn't interested in marrying him? I didn't erase it.
Beatrice was going to be a queen at some point. And she was female – so didn't she too stand in front of the mirror all day? I had seen her and Greta several times together when she was visiting here instead of the opposite, which was Greta's current situation. They were always talking about hair and designer dresses and their difference in the human and Mazoku world.
The difference between the human and Mazoku world. Beatrice was human, and so was Greta. My very own sister. The realization could have cost me my pen.
Wolfram von Shibuya-Bielefeld was slowly dazzling through the dark halls of Blood Pledge Castle. He sometimes couldn't help but think to himself that the only reason his weight didn't go straight to hell, was because of the long way from the Great Hall to his son's room. Those two places being where he mostly spent his time.
Finally arriving at said goal, he peeked inside a tiny crack made by the door to Ronja's space. He was quite curious whether the young prince had typed a reply to king Sararegi or not – though he currently seemed to be asleep in the food end of his bed. Wolfram smiled to himself. Ronja looked like such a child – so innocent and cute – whenever asleep.
He carefully stepped inside, trying not to make any noises. He made his way through the notes which were literally everywhere as Ronja had strictly told no one to ever lay hand on them and settled at the edge of his bed. He carefully ran his fingertips through the black hair consuming his son's face, it was so soft. He laughed quietly to himself once spotting the Demon Mirror, in which Ronja hoped to save his Dad and change the world. Wolfram knew better than to deny Ronja what he wanted, he was such a stubborn spirit, but he also knew that Yuuri was as good as dead, and even the future Maous couldn't possibly bring him back.
"Your father gave me everything, though," he muttered softly towards Ronja, though mostly to himself. "But most importantly, he gave me you."
He squinted as he spotted mentioned note. Surely Ronja was lying back towards Wolfram, but his hand was stretched out in such a way that Wolfram could see, and reach for it. Which he did. He did not, however, take it from his hand. The youngster could wake by only birds stepping outside.
He restrained himself from waking Ronja, and read silently to himself; Sararegi Heika. My heart is a battleground. If you manage to win that battle, I will, during the following year, make you my husband. Sincerely, His Majesty of New Makoku, Ronja Shibuya.
Wolfram had to fifty percent strangle himself in order not to chuckle when standing above Ronja in such a strange position, reading from his hand that was. So king Sararegi from the human world could end up being his son in law after all. Ronja must have been really pissed off when realizing, after Wolfram's Mother-to-son chat, that Beatrice however did not return the feelings he had for her. That Ronja had fallen in love with the hazel eyed king in a matter of minutes was highly unlikely.
The motherly figure was about to pull back when he just happened to see his son in the eyes. His mouth and eyes both widened in tact as he spotted in the youngsters eyes – he had already vanished, gone to the past.
My black orbs opened wide and I coughed for air. My chest moved heavily up and down and I felt like I'd been struck by lightning. It took me a couple of minutes to restrain myself, as I gasped for air. The cover beneath me was soft and slightly wet, but felt nothing like a mattress. Especially not the soft silk one that was normally in my bed. There was no way someone had removed it while I was fast asleep, was there?
I stumbled onto my feet, shivering at the sudden cold. If I at one point in life wanted my pillow, that point was now. There was another thing – I was definitely outside.
Hoping this was an awful nightmare, I staggered towards, well, towards where, exactly? The space around me was covered with a thin layer of white, wet fog. I could barely see a meter in front of me, but I wasn't completely lost. Unless I fell down a ditch and died.
Fortunately my senses were good, because I could soon spot Blood Pledge Castle, somewhere below me. So I was in the mountains then. Should have known.
I bit my lip not to yell in anger, because the closer I got to home, the angrier I also got. Who on earth dared picking me up in my room like that, then taking me to the mountain and leave me to die? Whoever did it was pretty stupid, too. They didn't exactly leave me far off, sooner or later someone would have found me even if I had been dumb enough to just lie up there and wait for it.
To my awful surprise, the fog didn't brighten the further down the mountain I got. It even rained in town, soaking my hair and clothes. Oh, I hated being wet, if I ever found out who was responsible for this.. Well, they would receive a punishment I'd rather not mention. I also guessed to have been asleep for hours as the huge clock tower in town showed five to six. Am. 05:55. One point to me for not waking up an hour earlier when maids and servants would be fast asleep.
I made my way up to the castle, spotting guards at each side of the gate. I didn't really pay special notice to them – until I was about to enter, and they actually stopped me. I gritted teeth once they held their sticks or whatever they were in front of me to prevent me from going inside. I first thought they were making a mistake, but once I tried getting past them they literally grabbed me.
"Let me go," I hissed. The rain finding its way down my face didn't exactly brighten my mood either. One of the guards locked my arms as I attempted some sort of Maryoku, preventing me from taking action.
"You can't just walk in here without special permission," he said very strictly. Special permission? Well I wasn't just the soon-to-be Maou, the king over the nation he both lived and fed in.
"Yeah, just who the hell do you think you are? Back into town with you," the other said, pushing me out of the others grasp before almost throwing me towards the city. Something inside me exploded.
"Who do I think I am?!" I yelled, crossing my arms. "I'm not just, the son of His Highness you mortal idiot." The mortal part was, of course, added to scare him off. Well if it didn't work I'd be a laughing stock for ages to come. The man who'd thrown me was about to speak up, but the other was faster.
"Of course," he said. "He's one of them Soukoku." The other passed me a look and nodded slowly in agreement, and they started whispering about something that probably didn't interest me. How long did it take for these idiots to figure it out?
I yawned and stretched, looking forward to getting inside. At first I would take a bath, then write my daily notes and appointments. Then I would head straight to bed, and deal with the guards and whoever had dumped me in the mountains later. Oh and I could really do with a cup of hot milk. Sleeping outside had really slit my throat – it was sore as hell.
"We're gonna' have to take you to Günter-sama," one of them finally said. For once I was not in the mood for laughing at something that had to do with Günter – like why someone would add '-sama-' to his name for instance. I just rolled my eyes, like mentioned I would deal with them later. I didn't bother arguing with them as long as I got inside. I decided I would make them do guard training all over again.
Once inside, the huge 'Günter search' began. I already knew that the man had many duties and was sometimes amused by it, but if there was one existing day he could take off work and be sick or something, that was now. We did find him though, after at least thirty minutes of looking. I never thought I could smile wider (on the inside of course) by just the sight of him.
"Günter, thank god, can you please prepare a bath for m-" I didn't get to finish, or rather, I didn't want to finish the way Günter was looking at me right now. His eyes were shining, I could almost claim he looked like he'd fallen out of love with uncle Gwendal, and with me instead. The thought grossed me.
"Oh dear," he said, folding his hands in a God-like way. I frowned. I had a feeling I wasn't going to like where this was going. "Another Soukoku."
So at least he finished his statement. But just what exactly did he mean? Another Soukoku? It was not exactly an unknown species around these parts, sure they were rare, but still. It was the word another that haunted me. Wasn't I the only one around at the moment? And what did he mean, another anyway? It's not like we were strangers.
"He claims to be the son of His Highness," they said in each other's mouth. They obviously had to learn how to speak properly and to not interrupt others while speaking, and how dared they assume I claimed to be my Mother's son? Günter's expression suddenly changed.
"His Highness's son?" He made an unexpected move, clasping his hand to my forehead. If I wasn't as confused as I was I would have bitten him, but before I got the chance I realized he was checking my fewer.
"You may leave," he told the guards, who nodded before doing what they were told. At least they were good for something. Günter's gaze returned to me, and he removed his hand from my forehead. I then noticed that he was slightly different; he had changed somehow. I couldn't put my finger on what it was, but something about him was completely different from the Günter I knew. And the hand he clasped to my forehead, wasn't that his left? Where had his wedding ring gone?
"I have always thought His Highness Murata-sama did not have children," he said after a long pause. My heart suddenly started beating faster. What was this? And, Murata-sama? His Highness Murata-sama? I had no idea who he was talking about, but the name was oddly familiar.
Maybe this was some sort of act Hahaue had set up in order to prevent me from going to the past. Maybe he wanted to scare me, well somehow that explanation didn't satisfy me. He would never leave me in the mountains for a whole night, would he? Risking me catching any kind of disease?
While I was asking myself all these questions, Günter was staring eagerly at me, his eyes tracing from mine to my hair all the time. Soukoku, of course. Günter was obsessed with us. Oh wait. Murata. Ken Murata. That was the guy with some sort of weird Maryoku in the human world, who fathered that girl who had chuckled at me in the front of that.. Thing I forgot the name of. Since he controlled a certain amount of Maryoku, he could possibly have relations here. But what kind? And what kind of "Highness" was he anyway? If he was so special, then I chances was I'd heard of him.
I almost had to slap myself when I came to the shocking conclusion; could I have travelled in time?
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