Ballet of Kings and Dolls

I'm actually updating this, can you believe it? I'm so, so, so, tremendously sorry for the delay. The biggest goof up was that I cannot find my notes to this but I think I remember enough to continue! Thank you for the support of this story. It kept me writing it.

Because of such a delay, I tried to reply to each individual review still but I think I fumbled that up badly. I'm still trying to get back to those I think I missed but for now, I thought I could update and offer my thanks that way. Thank you SO MUCH for every single comment. Really, I appreciate them so dearly.

Forgive any errors. I did my best after a couple years of haitus!

Warnings:

Nothing too bad

-x-X-x-...Remind Me...-x-X-x-

The silence permeated the room like a rotten odor, so thick one could practically inhale it. Lady Celi's body clung to the wires for dear life. Should one snap, her body could slump over at best and tumble to the ground at worst. Eyes shut in a troubled sleep, the ex-Queen whimpered faintly, murmuring to herself as if coaxing away the nightmares.

Silence shattered when Wolfram's heart-clenching scream shook the room. "MOTHER!"

Varick visibly bounced at the shrill, instantly grabbing Wolfram's arms when he realized the boy had awoken, having his mother's near-corpse as a greeting. "Wolf-Ah…!"

"Let go of me!" the blonde ordered in a hoarse boom of a voice, shoving the man violently by the shoulder to escape. "Mother!"

The others had all taken a glance at Wolfram at the scream but it was once the boy was sprinting across the room did any of them find the nerves to move. Conrad's mind snapped into military attention and he dashed off his heels, chasing his younger brother.

"Wolfram!" he yelled in a mixture of concern and panic with what trap awaited them.

"Mother!" Wolfram shrieked again, eyes wide in absolute terror, his mind racing like a child's. "Mother, Mother, Mother…!"

In three extra sprints Conrad snatched Wolfram around the waist, using the muscles of his legs to anchor their weight, effectively allowing him to hoist Wolfram straight off his feet. "No, Wolfram! It might be a trap!" he warned through a grunt, using his other arm to pin down Wolfram's flailing arms.

"MOTHER!" Wolfram protested, kicking his legs. "Conrart, let go! CONRART!"

Yuri stared in a state of confusion and horror, his fingers twitching but his mind fell dizzy, like a dream. "Wolfram," he breathed, only shaken from his state when a hand touched his shoulder.

"Shibuya," Murata was saying, eyes stiff with seriousness.

The Demon King hitched a breath and finally nodded. Murata's hand warmed his shoulder and suddenly he felt his muscles returning to his control and the blurriness faded. Near him, Varick was rushing toward Conrad's side to restrain Wolfram while Gwendel continued to stare up at his mother's form with an almost disturbed expression.

"Wolfram," Yuri whispered, eyes narrowing. He quickly found his wits and hurried forward, chest aching. "Wolfram!"

The blonde was growling and grunting, aiming a kick at Varick's chin until Yuri's hand clasped around his ankle.

"Wolfram, listen to me!" Yuri begged, using his free hand to take hold of Wolfram's left wrist. "Look at me. Wolfram, look at me…"

Wolfram's eyes flicked down quickly, caught in Yuri's eyes. "Yuri," he said, almost calmly as the rush of emotions and memories swept in his mind again. "Greta!"

"No, she's gone, remember?" Yuri assured, swallowing to stop his trembling voice. He had to convince himself that Lady Celi was not plastered behind him at the moment or else he felt he would vomit.

"Greta," Wolfram murmured again, eyes softening.

Yuri nodded and forced a weak smile, finding the familiar Wolfram in those eyes again. "Yeah, we…we got to stay focused, okay?"

"Wolfram." Conrad loosened his hold on his brother carefully, speaking quietly so as not to startle the stressed boy. "We're all together again. If we rush forward, something worse can happen."

Wolfram shut his eyes tight, his resolve faltering and his impulses screaming at him to save his mother, find Greta, and rip apart every doll in sight. For a moment, he only heard the pounding of his own heart and the quivering sound of his breath. But a warm hand over his own brought about the last push of strength he required to open his eyes and face the challenge.

Yuri nodded and clasped his hand over Wolfram's, promising him their success in the simple touch.

"Lord Weller is right," Varick added breathlessly, the man's eyes almost sunken in. "This is surely a trap."

"What is all this?"

All but Murata turned their faces toward Gwendel, who now clenched his fists at his sides and tilted his head down. "She claims to not want Wolfram dead yet…"

Varick tensed in caution, watching the man's body language. "Even if I wanted to tell you what's happening, I am physically unable to."

Murata scanned the crowd briefly before watching the woman on the wall again. "What do you propose about this situation then?" he asked Varick, wondering over what Yuri and Wolfram had endured earlier. "Shibuya, what happened when you were separated from us?"

Blinking, Yuri surveyed around the room until he pointed in a direction. "A doll came out. She had Greta and…another little girl…she was going to kill them and…"

In a soft rasp, Wolfram finished, "I turned her riddle against her and the doll got attacked. Then Greta and the girl were swallowed by something black."

"That means they must be safe."

Wolfram and Yuri's heads snapped up hopefully.

With a nod, Varick clarified, "You successfully completed a challenge. The reward is their safety. That much I can say."

"Thank goodness," Yuri sighed heavily, one weight relived off his neck. "And now, this challenge…"

"Mother," Wolfram whispered desperately, eyes daring to catch another glimpse at the beauty strung up high.

A quick pause of silence overcame them again. Gwendel's boots clicked on the floors, startling Yuri, as the vicious sound bounced off the walls. The man was moving around the length of the room, studying the walls and angling his head to the ceiling periodically.

"If this is a challenge, I do not see anything," the man noted. "Even the door we came through is replaced by wall."

Finding himself in the same conclusion, Murata reached out and touched a painting curiously. It was almost shadowed but he was sure he could discern a form sprawled against what seemed to be thorns; it strangely resembled the same pose Lady Celi was in.

His index finger drew along the golden frame and then tempted to nudge the bump of green paint. Once he did, the bump retreated inward and the Great Sage only stared in shock before it sprung out and swallowed half his arm whole.

"Ah!" he cried out, smashing his free hand against the wall to prevent from being sucked in.

"Your Eminence!" Conrad and Gwendel shouted in unison, bolting toward the double black and grabbing him by any means available.

Yuri glanced over at the commotion and gasped, ogling the scene before him of a painting trying to swallow Murata whole. "Murata!" he warned, just as Wolfram was hurrying over to save the man.

"Brother! Conrart, look out!" Wolfram bellowed through a grimace as he held onto his side. Above the two resisting men, the painting's upper half was melting and expanding until it could ingest Gwendel's left arm and Conrad's right.

The ground began rumbling again, offsetting Wolfram's feet, causing him to stagger past his target and collide roughly into the wall. Grunting he tried to propel off his hand to grab Murata but when he was jolted back, he spun his head.

He had smashed into almost identical painting; one which was already swallowing his elbow in. "No!" he spat, thrashing against it. "Let go!"

"Wolfram!" Conrad panted, using his only free hand to snatch his brother's wrist in an effort to pull him while he still struggled with Murata's would-be-eater.

"You guys!"

Yuri growled and was already tugging hard on Wolfram's arm that Conrad had managed to salvage. "No, no, no!" he half-screamed, finding himself caught in the painting's hungry jowls. It was warm and smooth, like flexible plastic.

"Ah, Yuri, let go or you'll get swallowed too!" Wolfram cursed, gasping when he saw Varick's haunting eyes in front of him for a split of a second.

Conrad gripped harder onto Wolfram and let out a strained groan at his muscles tearing at the abuse of two strains. His face paled when Wolfram was suddenly sucked almost completely inside, half of Yuri and half of Varick grappling with the blonde's arm to rescue him.

"Go!"

Casting a glance to his right, Gwendel's eyes were narrowed and a bead of sweat trickled over a furrowed brow. "Wolfram is too weak to protect His Highness and I don't trust Varick," he croaked, following a pained sound. "Go! I'll stay with His Eminence."

Below him, Murata gasped but nodded quickly. "You have to stay with Shibuya!"

Catching his brother's gaze, Conrad clenched his jaw and passed a silent understanding through his eyes before squeezing Murata's arm. "Be safe."

He severed their connection and finally released Murata and his caught arm snapped free from the painting's grip. The moment he did, however, the vacuum of the other painting exploded and he, Wolfram, Yuri, and Varick were consumed whole just as Gwendel and Murata were by the other.

-x-X-x-

Inside the confines of the doll house, Miss Maiden's painted lips cracked into a tiny smile as she watched through a shimmering orb her beloved prince crash into his new challenge. Her painted fingers only moved when she scooted herself closer to the orb, her short legs hanging loosely off the majestic throne of the Demon King.

"My Prince is so handsome," she whispered mentally. The walls caught her soft voice though and they swayed ever so slightly in concurrence.

Fused into their spines were the bodies of the castle's inhabitants, soldiers and servants, alike. Their flesh turned into the fine material the wall was painted of, some of their faces creeping out from the wall with lips hung in a silent scream.

In particular, Miss Maiden kept one servant nearby, waiting for the appropriate time to use him for bait. Gunter's eyes were frozen and glazed with the deep mahogany color of the room, beautiful face caught forever in a time of fright.

"I do regret sending Lady Celi as the reward," Miss Maiden then spoke, casting a gaze to Gunter. The man could not speak nor move but she was certain he could very well hear her. "But she's so pretty. I'd like my Prince to win the challenge and save her soon."

When the walls moaned softly in return, Miss Maiden let out a quiet sound of understanding.

"Round 2, my Prince."

-x-X-x-

"Separated again," Wolfram commented, almost lurching over a step until Varick steadied him. He quickly jerked his arm free again, only offering the man a glare before stepping forward again.

"The Great Sage is safe with Gwendel, at least," Conrad reassured, adjusting his military coat. Yuri offered him an assured look while he caught up to Wolfram, and Varick was busy looking as ghostly as ever. Now, to survey their current predicament.

What they had been ingested inside was quite literally a painting-a childish one at that.

There was no detection of how they could escape back through the painting once they had crashed into hills colored in a deep pink. The place they inhabited now was reminiscent of being in the gardens of Covenant Castle with a few alterations, if Wolfram dared to use the term so loosely. The colors were completely at the discretion of a childish or deranged power that had repainted the fountain's water green, the grass pink or purple, and flowers unsightly brown shades.

"Perhaps this is part of the challenge to save her," Conrad suggested, walking closely to Yuri and Wolfram whenever they trailed forward even the slightest.

Wolfram found his head tilting down. "Mother," he whimpered, fingers curling into his palms.

"We'll beat this," Yuri demanded from his side, but felt his own sense of hopelessness weighing him down. He found himself pushing past the doubt though whenever Wolfram caught his eyes. The strange arousal that had been passing over himself earlier had faded but still, he hoped he could find a respite soon to ask Wolfram about it.

Little did he know how Wolfram's own memories toyed with him. He vaguely thought he and Yuri had kissed but when he had opened his eyes, he only uncovered his mother.

Foolish thoughts. Even if something had happened, Mother is counting on us now…

Wolfram tucked away the blurred memories and glanced up again. "Of course we will," he growled lightly, raising a hand to his own face, "I'd like to burn down this trap we're in now."

"Wolfram, no!" Varick cautioned, rushing over. "We don't know what effects magic will have around here."

Conrad glanced at the guide, having been watching Wolfram. "It might be best to listen to Lord Varick. He's the best bet we have for now."

"Fine then," Wolfram snapped, huffing softly. Through the sound, he concealed another grimace from where the throb in his body was worsening.

"Wolfram? Are you okay?"

Yuri tilted his head at the blonde, lips turned upside down.

"I'm fine," Wolfram muttered, refusing to meet Yuri's gaze this time. He pushed forward behind Varick, who had began carefully winding around a brush in hopes to leave the gardens and return to the castle.

Conrad meanwhile waited until Yuri scurried behind Wolfram so that he trailed last as a precaution. His keen eyes observed that the gardens had been rearranged to disorient them, forcing them to follow Varick.

Periodically, Conrad caught himself lingering on the blonde strands of Wolfram's tangling hair a moment longer than necessary. The boy's body tilted subtlety to one side, suggesting that the boy was favoring one side over the other.

His injuries are being put on too much stress, Conrad concluded, silently cursing at their inability to remedy that. He was tempted to offer Wolfram a ride on his back but the damage it would inflict on the blonde's pride might only thicken the tension between them already.

Instead, Conrad stopped trailing behind after they had passed an intersection with a fountain. "Why don't we all take a break? Maybe we can eat some of these fruits from the tree. We need to restore energy."

Yuri turned as well and was already eyeing the tree with blue fruit hungrily. "You think we can really eat them?"

"It doesn't sound safe," Wolfram protested, itching to save his mother faster.

"Ah, yes," Lord Varick began slowly, passing Wolfram and Yuri. "This is the spot. After every challenge, she has set a location for a brief respite."

He met up with Conrad at the thick trunk of the expanding tree. He motioned for Conrad to stay still and then he spread his fingers over the bark, feeling the oddly smooth texture. "It should be safe but let me do it," he requested before drawing out his blade.

Yuri was already rushing forward to catch the falling fruit as the blade flicked them from their stems. He laughed when he caught three in a row, tossing one to Wolfram, the action bringing a smile to his face.

"Hey…!" Wolfram gasped, catching the fruit sloppily. But despite his anxiety, he found his eyes relaxing at how happiness found Yuri even during their stress. "Wimp."

"I'm too hungry to argue otherwise," Yuri sighed with a flop against the grass, his back leaning against the fountain. "We can really eat it?"

Lord Varick bit into one of the fruits, sucking in the sweet morsel. "Mm-hmm," he mouthed around the juice as it washed down his throat.

While Yuri eagerly bit into his meal, Wolfram reluctantly sat near his King and did the same. His breath caught and suddenly his stomach roared, greedy for more. He had forgotten how tired and hungry he must have been.

I guess it's testament to how much of a soldier I've become, Wolfram wondered, biting again into the soft texture. He glanced at the brunette a few feet away from them who ate and curiously thought if for a trained soldier like Conrad, a fresh fruit boosted up morale.

The brunette swallowed his first couple bites gratefully. "Lord Varick, perhaps you can tell us more about what's going on. Anything."

"I…I really can't," the man regretfully admitted, moving unconsciously from the man so that he remained isolated but near enough Wolfram. "You just have to…play along."

"Miss Maiden is really doing all this," Wolfram exhaled, licking his lips clean from the juices.

Yuri swallowed slowly and scooted a tad closer to the blonde. "What happened with Miss Maiden, Wolfram? I mean, maybe you know more than you realize."

The blonde's sharp eyes hid behind his eyelids as the past swarmed around him, whispering terrible things, tickling the memories of happy times, and taunting him. But suddenly, they were hushed and Wolfram could think clearly again. Opening his eyes, Wolfram caught Yuri's hand on his shoulder, silently encouraging him.

The ex-Prince nodded and studied the fruit in his hand. "I knew it was crazy that a doll was talking to me. I thought for the longest time it was my own mind playing tricks until..."

The boy's voice trailed off, leaving the sounds of the fountain's cycling water filling the void. Conrad stood beneath the tree still, resisting the urge to move closer to them.

He spoke upon Wolfram's behalf, "Miss Maiden had told him that the Luternberg Division that I was in would meet catastrophe."

"Conrad." Yuri looked over his godfather, seeing the suppressed anguish beneath those kind eyes. "You didn't believe him."

If he was ashamed, Conrad did nothing to reveal it but only shook his head. "I knew something was wrong when we met that catastrophe. I'm sure I was riled up from the battle and having seen so many deaths that when I confronted Wolfram…"

"It was just a fight," Wolfram muttered, shifting the fruit into both his hands now. "I was so scared at what she kept saying afterward. She spoke of the threatening war we're facing now and that our Kingdom would collapse. I couldn't tolerate it anymore. You saw what happens when you try to break her.

If she wouldn't leave, then I would keep her prisoner. So, I locked her in my closet, sealing it with magic. I didn't think it'd work but I couldn't hear her anymore and…it just stopped."

Yuri blinked and squeezed Wolfram's arm. "Wait, so maybe she can be stopped with magic? I mean, she was locked away. Maybe that's how-"

Varick interjected, "It will not work, Your Majesty."

"Why not? Wolfram just said it kept her quiet for years."

The man dipped forward to cup water in his hands from the fountain. "She was weaker at the time. She got more power. I cannot say more than that."

"More power?" Conrad asked, eyes narrowed on the man. "Someone gave her more power?"

Varick drank what water pooled in his palms. "I cannot say more."

"The hell you can't!"

Wolfram was on his feet, lurching aside the fruit and charging at the man despite the tearing nerves in his side. He launched forward and took the man by the collar of his cape, shaking him as much as his weaker body could muster. "I demand answers! I'm sick of these riddles and I'm sick of your lack of cooperation! Tell me, now! Mother is dying because of you!"

The man grunted at the brutality behind the force, sensing Wolfram's flames already on the tips of those fine fingertips. He did not push the boy away, however, and only looked on with a somber look. "I'm sorry, Wolfram. I wish…"

"Wolfram," Conrad's voice warned but was coated with an ease of gentleness reserved only for a select few. "We don't know everything. We can't be rash and risk everything."

The blonde scoffed and his teeth gritted in a manifestation of his inner debate to smash a fist into the man's face. He desperately craved to express his rage, sorrow, and vengeance at someone connected to this mess but all he could do was shove Varick away and lower back down onto his heels.

Yuri bit his lower lip and stood up once the tension lightened. "Wolfram," he started, gesturing to the boy. "I promise we'll get through this and have everyone safe."

The flame-powered warrior cast Varick a final dirty stare before shuffling over to Yuri. "Of course. That's what a wimp does best," the blonde managed to say nonchalantly, moving past Yuri and toward an opening squeezed between high brush.

Yuri smiled faintly at the insult but quickly lost it. "Hey, where you going?" he asked, quickly catching up to him.

"I can tell you're still hungry. I saw some berries on this side."

"Careful," Conrad cautioned after them, keeping them both in his sight. "Stay nearby. We'll move on soon."

Yuri nodded back to the brunette before crouching beside where Wolfram was ahead under another tree. "You think Lord Varick really is out to get us?"

Wolfram frowned and tugged on a couple of berries until they snapped loose. "I don't know. He's connected though and that's enough of a warning to not trust him completely," he grumbled, keeping his mind focused on the task of berry-collecting.

"He seems sad. Doesn't he?"

"You talk a lot no matter what the situation, huh?"

Yuri felt his lips broadening into a weak smile. "I guess it helps to keep me sane," he began. He moved a few feet away from his fiancé, finding a handsome clump of berries in another bush.

"Hm," was all Wolfram let out, wincing again at the strain the position put his body in.

Yuri's voice lowered a moment after as other thoughts probed his lips, "Wolfram, about what happened back in the castle. I mean, did you…We…"

Pausing, Wolfram felt his body heat up at the notion of Yuri having the same "dream" he had. Unless, that is, it was anything but a dream and instead a fading reality. "Yuri…!" he gasped, sitting back down and turning to face the double black.

But his breath caught when those dark eyes were only a mere centimeter from his own. Strangely though, Yuri's shoulders sported the familiar red cloak and respective insignia befitting of the Demon King.

"When did you get that?" Wolfram wondered, flushing further when Yuri's eyes narrowed in a suggestive manner. "Yuri?"

"Huh? Get what?" a voice called out from a short distance away.

The voice had not come from the Yuri staring directly into Wolfram's face, preparing to jump the blonde.

Daring the action, Wolfram gulped and tilted his head slightly to peer over "Yuri's" shoulder and his heart skipped a beat.

Yuri was still picking berries.

-x-X-x-....TBC?...-x-X-x-

Thank you so much to those who are still going to read this! I don't know how many people out there will.

Keep going? It seems so cruel to ask that after two years though. I'm so sorry!

Thank you so much again. Anyone who is reading The Dragon's Triangle, part 3 will be posted within a week!

Mirai Kurosaki