Ballet of Kings and Dolls
Fool Me
A/N: I had so much to explain but I decided to keep the story's pace the same so forgive me if you're still a bit confused! But it's finally gotten to the good stuff! Thank you SO much, reviewers! Truly...You make me smile and write, write write!
Warnings: Possible disturbing images for some individuals (very little).
Response to reviewers:
priestessmykala: Thank you for reviewing! I did not make videos for the story. I offered songs to listen to help with the mood of the story, which just happened to be videos on Oh wow! You made me blush! Thank you so much! I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint you! Thank you very much for reviewing!
lovlee: Thank you so much for reviewing!
kit: So much is still to come, especially regarding relationships with Wolfram! I can't spoil anything so if people want to read more, I will continue! Thanks very much for your review! I don't know how I get away with writing dark stuff hahah. Thanks again!
pelvan: I wonder if this chapter will frighten you a bit! I hope so! Thanks so much for taking the time to review! You'll learn more about Murata in later chapters. I don't want to add too many things for the readers in one chapter. Thanks again!
-x-X-x-
"How dare he kick me out!"
Yuri flinched at the brutality beneath Wolfram's savage outcry. The word was coated with the thickness of desperation and Yuri, in a sympathetic gesture, clasped the blonde's taught shoulder.
"Your rest is what's important now, Wolfram. Gunter promised to continue the search," the double black assured, aiding Wolfram into a comfortable position in a large cushioned seat.
With a quick snap of his neck, Wolfram cast Yuri a gloomy and frustrated glare. "What if he misses it in a text and how am I supposed to rest knowing she's going to come back in…er… how long do we have?"
Murata, from the other side of the dining area, replied, "Only a few hours."
Narrowing his eyes, the blonde ex-prince made to protest but Conrad got ahead. "You've been studying those texts for a long time, Wolfram," the captain clarified, frowning. "Gwendel is still upset that you're not res-"
"This is not just about me!" Wolfram barked. "We must figure this out before she returns. If you don't want to help, then…don't interfere!"
"Wolfram," Yuri whispered with an expression worn from lack of sleep.
In a fluid movement, Wolfram cast his eyes down. "I don't expect anyone to help me, especially you two," he added, motioning to the two double blacks.
Murata smiled and shifted his weight onto his other hip. "I admit when I heard what happened, I was flabbergasted. Though you're a jealous brat and even selfish, you're not liar."
Tensing in protest, Wolfram only glowered at the boy. "Why are you even following me?"
"A gentleman always protects the princess," Murata stated matter of factly with genuine amusement.
"Why you…"
Yuri sighed, drowning in his own perplexity. It took him a few good hours to accept the reality of the situation and though he knew little of its severity, he sensed something dark approaching. He pondered over as to whether or not his comrade the Great Sage felt as hopeless as he did.
"Wait, that's it! Murata, surely one of your past lives has heard about this, right?" Yuri inquired, fisting his hands in hopeful anticipation.
Conrad glanced to the other boy and observed his behavior. The Great Sage gazed at the chandelier, his arms crossed, and lips pursed in an implication of thought. "Perhaps you've read about it at the least?" the brunette interjected.
With a hearty breath of air, Murata shook his head and insisted, "I don't have anything useful to share at this time, I'm afraid."
Yuri nearly pouted but instead, furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean? Surely you've heard about it somewhere!"
"Captain!"
The three lifted their heads up as a soldier sprinted into the clearing. "Yes?" asked Conrad, disliking the panicked expression the soldier harbored on his face.
"Lord Varick's remains, sir!"
"What of them?" pressed Conrad.
"They're GONE!"
-x-X-x-
Gwendel grumbled beneath his breath and toed a shattered remain that once, with its family, fashioned a decorative vase. "How ridiculous," he uttered.
"What happened?" gasped Wolfram, cradling his side. In his state, the trip wasted more energy than it was probably worth.
After scolding Wolfram with a discerning glare, Gwendel muttered, "The guard on duty was checking this level when he noted what you see before you."
"How peculiar," Murata observed, crouching. "Not a single trace of his remains are left."
Yuri tightened his hold on Wolfram unconsciously. "You don't think…he got away?"
"Of course not," Gwendel growled. "We all saw what happened."
Wolfram's eyes grew large in realization. "We don't know what happened to him. How are we to know it's not a temporary spell he was put under?" he asked.
"Spell?" Conrad repeated, scrutinizing the area for clues but pausing to study his younger brother.
His mind having caught up with his mouth, Wolfram stuttered. "I…I meant that, we don't know what he was capable of; if he had magical abilities."
"Hm…interesting point," Murata claimed, erecting himself into a standing position.
As the conversation lingered over their minds, Wolfram's instinct captured a movement to his side. Yuri gone from his side, Wolfram was capable of angling himself with the support of the wall for a better analysis.
From the end of the thin hall, a form stepped forth with a distorted movement. A few more steps and Wolfram's breath hitched upon what he internally acknowledged as Lord Varick. The vicious gleam from the man's weapon piqued Wolfram's warrior response.
"Look out!" the blonde hollered just as Lord Varick, eyes shrouded in clouds, awkwardly dashed toward their group.
Conrad and Gwendel reacted with trained speed and with weapons drawn, posed themselves for battle. Gwendel charged with the intensity of a wild animal, using his larger seize to strengthen the impact of his blow.
Lord Varick's eyes widened in a processing effect and his body leapt to the side with grace, avoiding the blow. With spastic limbs, the man spun effectively and landed a leg to the back of Gwendel's body, hurling the man forward.
Conrad braced himself but managed to cry, "Get out of here!"
"B-But," Wolfram whispered, in a hypnotic daze.
"Get going! You don't have your weapon and you're injured!" the older man bellowed, groaning at the massive intensity beneath Varick's blow.
Varick's blade shrieked in apology as it clashed with Conrad's new sword. They slid and screeched against one another until Varick struck Conrad's sword with enough force to pitch the man stumbling back.
Gwendel yelled as he made to strike from behind.
A sickening snap of bones startled everyone. Lord Varick, unable to typically deflect the two blows simultaneously, hurled his upper body back even as his spine tore in the process. The two blades clashed right above the bowed back of Varick.
"W-What in the…" Gwendel gasped, horrified at the disfigured position.
Lord Varick, who remained emotionless, snapped his head to stare at the man. With his free hand, Lord Varick pressed it against the floor and employed it as a method of regaining balance. He applied all his weight on the frail bones of his hand and flipped himself.
His legs rose upward and kicked the blades above him apart, allowing for clearance. With even greater speed, his body pitched completely up and he somersaulted delicately to land behind Gwendel.
"Impossible! He shouldn't be standing!" Conrad hissed throughout the speedy process, unable to react with enough swiftness.
Gwendel sensed the man settling behind him but Varick was more rapid than he was. Varick's blade was clutched with two pale hands and plunged forward.
"BROTHER!" Wolfram screamed, stretching his hand in a feeble attempt to save his brother.
Gwendel's muscles flexed at the sword's threatening tip. Back arched in protest, the eldest of the three brothers did not inhale a breath of air. The immense pain did not greet him and with a cautious gesture, the man turned his head back.
Lord Varick stared forward, eyes thriving with life now. In one gesture, he withdrew his weapon.
Murata gaped in wonder and quickly exclaimed in a hushed voice, "Was he just playing?"
The mysterious man's eyes brightened and his chest heaved. Blood oozed from his lips but he managed the strength to rasp, "I'm not going to kill you."
Despite the severity of his situation, Gwendel boldly grumbled, "Then why did you dash forward with a blade in your hand?"
"You would attack me so I snatched a weapon for defense," the man croaked and straightened his body, the sound of cracking and shifting bones echoing throughout the area. With a quick motion, Varick pitched the blade and the sword struck the ground beside Yuri's feet.
His dull eyes slithered over Wolfram's form in curiosity. "Before you strike me down for attempting to kill your future vice ruler, understand that I was only following orders."
"Aren't they all?" Murata inquired, finally relaxing as the threat plummeted.
With the barest of a shrugs, Varick added, "There isn't time to explain, bu-"
Wolfram hollered and grunted as the massive castle rumbled, unsettling his weight. "What the-Ack!" he spat and stumbled to regain footing.
Pressing against a wall, Murata shouted, "The castle is starting to spin!"
"W-WHOA!" Yuri yelled and went hurling through the air like the others.
The castle was raised above the ground, the sound it produced like a beast grumbling from its awoken slumber. Wolfram sensed his body twirling like a ragged doll before he noticed the wall he was surely destined to collide with.
Lord Varick spun his body at an awkward and propelled off the ceiling with the strength of his legs. His arms snaked out and he engulfed Wolfram with them. "Hold on," he rasped and in raw terror, Wolfram clung to the man.
With great agility but with still much effort, Lord Varick grasped one of the fixtures that typically held candles and clung for life. "Hold on tight!"
Conrad mimicked the motion and managed to clasp Yuri's arm, who in turn, clutched at Murata.
The severe motion generated by the spinning rendered nearly everyone dizzy and eyes were shut in an effort to alleviate the sickness. "Wolfram!" Yuri cried, prying one eye open but the rumbling and everyone's frantic cries made it difficult to focus.
Wolfram clawed desperately at Lord Varick's waist but hollered back, "I'm fine!"
As the statement was announced, the castle's rolling lightened and its intensity ceased. It spun a final time and it remained still. Everyone jolted one abrupt time as their bodies adjusted to the gravitational pull before they settled back onto solid ground. The return to ground was unceremonious but less damaging as the spinning.
Lord Varick clutched Wolfram and peered down at the boy. "You're not hurt?" he asked but lacked the emotion that typically preceded the inquiry.
Wolfram blinked and snuck glances around the area. "A-Ah…I'm fine," he gasped and released his hold on the man upon realizing he still gripped him.
"The others! We should check to make sure the others are safe!" Yuri insisted, blinking away the dizziness. He rushed to the end of the hall with quick pace, fearing for the others, and he paused.
"W…What?" he stuttered and pressed his hands against the wall. "Wasn't there an intersection here?"
Gwendel rubbed his forehead and inquired, "It's gone?"
"Everything feels…different," Wolfram unexpectedly muttered, peering around the room. His wound then ached and he groaned, leaning against the wall for support. As he did, he cried out in alarm as the wall began suckling on his hand.
"Wolfram!" Yuri spun around at the startled sound and stared in horror. "H-Hey!"
Lord Varick snatched Wolfram in an instant to prevent the wall from devouring him. "Use your fire!" he commanded and Wolfram commanded a flame to dance upon his fingertips.
With quick speed, Wolfram spread his engulfed fingertips against the wall. It twitched and spat his hand out at the sudden interference. It seemed to grumble before returning to its usual inanimate form.
"This is not…what I meant by different," the blonde gasped, aching to lean against something.
Yuri held the boy's arm and allowed Wolfram's weigh to recline against him. "Did it try to eat you?" he asked still in disbelief.
"I…don't think I really want to know," Wolfram grumbled, silently thanking Yuri's assistance. "Are we stuck here then?"
Conrad, who inspected the other end of the hallway reported, "It looks as if we have to exit this way...without touching anything."
"Not an exit," Lord Varick interrupted. "I suspect the entire castle's entrances and rooms have been altered."
"How so?" asked Murata, cautious as to not touch anything.
Lord Varick popped a bone into place and rubbed his sore neck. "I've seen this trick used before but not as elaborate. I'm sure it's about the same though."
"Enlighten us," Gwendel sneered, lifting up his weapon and not bothering to sheathe it.
A childish voice disrupted their conversation and replied on Varick's behalf, "His personal doll house, recall?"
Though everyone trembled at her lullaby, Wolfram endure the most of her bite. "Miss Maiden," he breathed, staring almost longingly at his doll.
"He's here, waiting at the end of your final task."
"Who?" asked Conrad as his muscles flexed in preparation for another surprise.
Miss Maiden's lips cracked and Wolfram sensed her grin. "So little you know and yet you'll know all in so little time. There are many pathways, many answers, and yet all depends on my Prince."
"No riddles!" Wolfram screamed, his hand trembling in a desire to smack someone.
"Yes, riddles! This castle, your home, it has been bolded into a toy, a labyrinth, the war's center stage! You solve a riddle incorrectly and you will suffer. My Prince, however, will suffer regardless of the failure or victory through this maze."
"What?" Yuri whispered, pressing on. "Wolfram will suffer? How?"
"Should I tell you? I'll be generous and offer this much, King. You best watch out for my Prince or he'll..."
Wolfram's blood chilled at the silent words Miss Maiden cooed into his and only his mind.
Frowning, Yuri squinted at Miss Maiden's unmoving lips. "What did you say? Wait, wh-"
"Upon your halfway point, I will serve as your riddle. Until then, you have your guide."
Miss Maiden snapped her neck and swallowed the pathetic state of her owner. "My Prince…I can only guarantee one thing. I will not let you die."
Wolfram's eyes widened even further, a scalding mixture of rage and horror tangling in the muscles of his face. "Wait!" he demanded and despite the screaming protest of his nerves, the blonde shot out to the doll. "Miss Maiden, please!"
The doll giggled and her body began twitching to life. "My beautiful Prince…"
The doll's giggling echoed yet faded as her form melted into the surrounding area, leaving Wolfram venerable and desperate. "No!" he screamed, collapsing to the floor.
Shoulders heaving, Wolfram regained his wasted breath. Yuri was the first to grasp his shoulder and soon Conrad neared him. "Wolfram," Conrad gently coaxed.
"This isn't…right," Wolfram growled, eyes shut tight in hopes of shattering this dream. "We're not some toy for her to play with!"
Murata sighed and rubbed his neck. "Oh boy, this what she meant. Literally, this place must have been made into someone's personal fun house," he mused, examining the walls.
Gwendel's mind picked a thought. "The others…Gunter, Anissina…"
It was Lord Varick's popping bones that startled the others. "Undoubtedly they're prisoners of this place. We can only play the game. If we go on, we get closer to the final outcome. If we stay, you'll rot."
Glancing over his shoulder, Wolfram surveyed the bizarre man. "Lord Varick…you're our guide?"
Yuri caught the concept. "It can't be. You're in on this?!"
Lord Varick's lips curved into the smallest smirk. "Yes, I am," he confessed. "I cannot reveal information. It's against the rules."
"This is no time for games!" Gwendel seethed.
"This is a game but the war is very much real. Surely your friends outside of this kingdom are fighting one another," the man explained.
Murata contemplated and murmured, "Well, I suppose we've not choice but to follow the rules and play. After all, the more we learn, the more we have to construct a plan. Knowledge is power."
"Can he be trusted?" Conrad asked, narrowing his eyes at the sudden guest they were left with.
Lord Varick twitched in an abnormal manner. "Dolls don't have a reason to lie," he mumbled, flexing his fingers. "Nor have I an interest in harming Wolfram again."
"D…Doll?" Yuri barked, staring at the man. "You're not…"
"I'm a special case at the moment but yes," Varick admitted. "That is why I was put together once more by my cousin. There's a bigger problem that we need your help with though, Wolfram."
"COUSIN?!" Wolfram belched, face stretching. "M…Miss Maiden!"
Waving a dismissive hand, Lord Varick sighed. "It's a sad tale, Wolfram. This war…will happen again regardless of this outcome…it always has. I've seen it."
Stunned with perplexity and wonder, the others remained silent. The thickness of the confession only fueled the chaos that was unfolding around them unbeknownst to them.
Wolfram stared down as the latest realizations and horrors that plagued his mind settled in. His efforts were futile and a strange sensation of madness tickled his brain. To suppress the sudden intrusion of unwanted thoughts, the boy shakily stood up.
"…Come on then. Let's go," Wolfram muttered, wincing at the first step.
"Huh?" Yuri asked and grasped the boy's arm to assist. The naked brush of their skin electrocuted the two and their heads snapped into attention, eyes sharing a startled glance. An unknowing blush crept over the double black's face.
Yuri broke their eye contact and said, "I…I guess you're right. Just don't push it."
"The more we know, the more we can use against whatever is happening," Wolfram repeated but his mind was returning the sudden jolt of unrestricted pleasure he had received from the slightest common touch from the boy he cared so much for.
"I can carry you," Lord Varick offered, walking alongside the blonde and his fiancé.
As they rounded the corner, Wolfram bit back, "I'm fine enough as is." He felt uneasy having his near assassin tagging along with them and he was grateful for Gwendel's threatening blade and even more lethal glare.
Gwendel kept his blade handy, prepared to lash out at their sudden guest now turned guide. "Keep your hands to your-ah!"
Murata sensed a flash of air whip by him and he peered back at the man's outcry. "What happened?" he inquired, approaching the man and scanning his clipped arm.
"Brother?" Wolfram said with a curious voice.
Gwendel hissed at the blood oozing from his arm and growled at his ripped uniform. "I'm not sure what happened but…"
"It was an arrow," Varick commented without sparing the wounded man a glance.
Conrad examined the wound cautiously after setting his blade aside. The brunette tore a piece of his own uniform and wrapped it tightly around his eldest brother's arm as a tourniquet. "How do you know that?" he questioned
"Get down!" Lord Varick yelled and pressed Yuri and Wolfram roughly onto the ground.
Sensing the threat himself, Gwendel shoved Murata to safety and Conrad followed them. At the very instant their bodies contacted the ground, thousands of arrows shot out from an unknown source but their threat all the same in lethality.
"This is not funny!" Wolfram hissed, tightening his hold on Yuri's arm.
The arrows journey ceased and the creeping silence overtook them. "Is it over?" Murata asked, pressing his body slightly upright.
Wolfram groaned at his strained wound at the effort to stand. "More importantly, what was that about?"
"Part of the game?" Gwendel growled, blatantly lacking any amusement.
Conrad dusted himself off and analyzed Yuri's demeanor. "Are there more traps like these?" he asked to no one in particular. "We're in trouble if there are more."
"Oh what now?" Wolfram moaned upon a loud sound.
The pounding of a bouncing child's ball and gentle coo of a creature roused their interest. They peered back and an enormous stuffed doll resembling a bear bee sat beside a child's gargantuan ball. The obvious suggestion of the manufacturing of the bear bee was the threads of stitching and lopsided eyes.
"Where did that come from?" Wolfram blurted, staring at the horrendously large toys.
Yuri tilted his head and smiled. "Aw, it's kind of cute though isn't it?"
The bear bee shifted.
"Gah! It's alive!" Wolfram shouted, clutching Yuri unconsciously in an attempt to keep the boy at bay and protected.
Gwendel glared up at the toy. "This is one of the dolls Greta made," he discerned. "She's very good. Hm…"
The bear bee doll wiggled until it held the ball comfortably in its paws. It triumphantly blared out its natural call and raised his arms high above his head, the ball grazing the ceiling.
"No," Murata suggested, panicking. "No, little…er…big bear bee! You don't want to throw that at us!"
"RUN!" Conrad bellowed, wheeling on his heels and shoving Yuri into a sprinting action.
Lord Varick wasted little time and strength in hurling Wolfram over his shoulder. He took off in an abnormal sprint far ahead of the others even as Wolfram slammed his fists roughly against his back.
The ball was released with a triumphant cry and what should have been a light reverberation of bouncing was a massive and earth shattering quake. With each tremble of the castle, the group's balance was pitched into erratic steps.
"W-Whoa!" Yuri cried as the last quake rendered his legs wobbly. He stumbled poorly and collapsed onto the ground, sliding along its waxed gloss unable to slow down. "H-Hey! I can't stop!"
Wolfram and Varick were the next victims to collapse. Varick used his flexible skills but failed to regain footing. Soon, Murata, Conrad and Gwendel all crumbled to the ground and they slid along the floor, following the others along the make-shift flat slide.
Gwendel grunted, hoping to gain footing again but the sound of the ball startled him back into the current predicament. "It's getting closer!" he bellowed and in a desperate attempt, he slammed his blade down to stop himself.
The motion failed and he cursed. "This is…nonsense!"
"STAIRS!" Yuri shouted, clawing at the ground now.
Two sets of stairs, one guiding up a level and the other down, suddenly withered away into a flat surface and the group was jolted into split groups. The floor beneath Wolfram caved before bounding upward, shaping itself like a hill. The motion pitched Wolfram over the others and he crashed beside Yuri.
They both gasped in fright at the brutal dip the stairs made and they screamed in unison as they fell.
"Yuri! Wolfram!" Conrad hollered but his intent in rescuing them was futile as he and the rest of the part defied gravity and slid up the other set of stairs.
"No!" Lord Varick seethed, as he too, was sucked upward, away from the two boys.
The ball slammed into the wall, missing its targets.
-x-X-x-
Wolfram promised the death of whoever tossed him like one of those toys as he adjusted himself into a sitting position. They landed softly upon the floor but that did not ease his wrath. "Yuri?" he rasped, rubbing the back of his head and cradling his now stinging side.
The double black shook his head, hurling the spots away. "I'm fine…how about you?"
"Fine," Wolfram mumbled, glancing around the area. "I can't see a thing here. The windows must be closed off by…whoever is doing this."
Yuri stumbled until he stood properly. Offering his hand, he then assisted his fiancé until he too managed to stand upright. "I think they wanted us separated…but why?"
"Nothing makes sense in this…fun house," Wolfram bitterly uttered, leaning against the other. His eyes fluttered and Yuri was quick to notice the gesture.
"Hey, you okay?"
Wolfram stared ahead but he sensed that it wasn't the darkness that clouded his train of thinking. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Just irritated," he replied, adding the touch of humor at the end in a timid method of defending his pride. "I don't know how many more surprises I can take."
The lights sparked on.
Wolfram and Yuri flinched and waited until their eyes adjusted. Their eyes did just that and they both regretted their biological adaptations to a light's severity. "Wha…What is this?!" Wolfram screamed in fury.
At the center of the room, two large tablets erected themselves boldly beside each other. Both were plagued with a dark substance and barbed wire that cradled two figures, one on each tablet. The first was a young girl, who was muted by the dark substance that cupped her mouth. Her bright eyes were wide with terror and her muffled screams tugged at the boys' hearts.
The slick substance on the second tablet clutched at Greta, who held the same terror that the stranger beside her did. She spotted her parents and thrashed against her restraints. She sobbed as the wire tickled at her skin until it broke the first layer, spilling blood.
"Greta!" Yuri screamed.
A doll poked her head from behind the first tablet, timidly. She blinked for a moment and then smiled with new found confidence. She stepped from behind the tablet, her movements life-like and she spun in delight, her bright sunflower dress flickering up and down.
"A…doll," Wolfram gasped, covering his mouth to prevent a cry of agony.
The doll completed her twirl and her arm shot out. A delicate and porcelain finger extended up and she giggled almost kindly. "Level number one."
Yuri thanked the empty contents of his stomach for he knew he would have vomited otherwise. "This can't be! They're children! They didn't do anything to you! They're not toys!" he snapped and his gestures grew aggressive.
"If they did something to me then it'd be okay?"
Both boys sensed the disturbance beneath the question. Yuri licked his lips and quickly retorted, "N-No! That's not what I mean!"
"Say what you mean, then." The doll smiled with love and she clasped her hands in delight.
"Put them down!" Wolfram demanded with such venom the doll frowned in fright. She gasped when Wolfram's impulse dominated his logical and sent him hurling toward her.
The doll raised her arm and slashed downward. The substance clutching Greta mimicked her motion and a layer of skin was peeled off Greta's face in a single motion. In response, she shrieked and despite the muffled sound, its gravity was still heavy enough to halt Wolfram.
"G-Greta," he rasped, struck with guilt.
"I'm required to kill one but I may torture both if you upset me."
The doll's eyes darkened but her voice remained childish and sweet.
Wolfram's free hand clutched itself into a fist with brutal force. His rage manifested in his eyes but he remained silent and refused to endanger the girls further. Yuri stared at the doll, still lost in a hypnotic trance at the previous comment.
"Good then. Now…your challenge."
Yuri's mind returned to reality. "Challenge?" he repeated, clutching his chest in an unconscious attempt to decrease his rapid heart beat.
The doll raised her arms in an exaggerated manner and sang her lullaby.
"Before you are two girls…
One girl you do know well…
Decide which you shall save…
And which will go to hell…"
-x-X-x-
My name is not Miss Maiden
His fervor for you grew
So the ballet will not cease
Until the Doll Maker finds you
-x-X-x...TBC...-x-X-x-
Do let me know if you'd like more! Now the Yuuram moment will be intensifying bit by bit from here on out among other things.
I hope you were entertained at the least. I had too much difficulty with this chapter. It was supposed to be almost rushed after Varick appeared for a purpose and I know it may have been a bit shorter than the other chapters but it was necessary. Hope it wasn't too troublesome!
Thank you for taking the time to review if you do. I appreciate it.
Thanks for reading!
Mirai Kurosaki