~.~.~
Title: Maoh, A Day Late
Summary: Yuri arrives in the other world late, and the race for the Boxes has already begun. Season 2.
Notes: Just because you leave the Demon Tribe doesn't mean the Demon Tribe leaves you. Or something. Also, Flynn gets her way.
~.~.~
Part IV, Chapter 7
In solitude
~.~.~
The thinning fog was a double-edged sword. It made finding the soldiers' camp much easier, but it also meant that Yuri and Conrart could be far more easily discovered.
"There," Conrart said quietly, pointing to several tents set up at what had been the edge of the fog bank.
The openings had been sealed tightly shut in an effort to keep out the corrosive steam the cursed spring - or rather, Morgif - had produced. But as they watched, one of the tent flaps was tentatively pushed aside, and a soldier stuck his head out.
"He's right, it's not burning any more," the soldier called back to his comrades. "What a relief..."
"Idiot! It wouldn't have stopped for no reason!" an officer yelled, pushing the soldier out and gesturing to another follow him. "Go check on it! Find out what happened!"
The two rank-and-filers exchanged a look. It was clear neither relished the idea of approaching the cursed spring.
"Now!" the officer barked. Turning away as both soldiers saluted and slunk off, past Conrart and Yuri's hiding place, he added to someone else, "And you, we're going to check on the prisoner. This might be some demon magic of his."
Yuri glanced at Conrart, who nodded. It seemed their suspicions were correct. There was someone from the Demon Tribe held prisoner, most likely brought there to try to retrieve Morgif.
The officer and his subordinate did not go far, just a tent over. Conrart and Yuri followed quietly, crouching around the corner, in the shadows between the two tents. Through the thick fabric, they could hear a guard salute and sound off inside.
"No, he hasn't done anything," the guard answered to a question they had missed. "Hasn't even moved."
The officer snorted, disbelieving and disparaging. His boots clicked against the stone as he strode deeper into the tent - toward the prisoner.
"What did you do?" he demanded. There was no answer. "Look at me, demon scum! You've caused us enough trouble already, interfering with the retrieval, letting that Small Cimaron bastard escape... betraying the king and helping your fellow demon trash escape. You should have been executed from the start."
Yuri eyes widened, and he barely managed to stifle a surprised gasp. Conrart's hand on his shoulder tightened as they both shared the same thought. There was only one person it could be.
"Heh," a familiar, deep voice chuckled, "questioning your king's orders? What's the great Cimaron army coming to?"
"Adalbert," Yuri whispered. He could feel Conrart tense behind him.
"It must have been pretty embarrassing to have two traitors in your king's inner circle, not to mention losing the Boxes to the Demon Tribe and having them escape from right under your nose..." Adalbert continued, his tone mocking.
The officer growled, and there was a sound of something being struck, making Yuri flinch. Adalbert chuckled, sounding faintly pained.
"Shut your trap, you demon," the officer spat. "The only reason you're still alive is because we had a use for you - retrieving one of your cursed weapons. Now tell me, what did you do?!"
Yuri shot Conrart a pleading look, which the man met evenly. He could tell that Yuri was barely holding himself back from charging in. Smiling faintly, Conrart placed his hand on his sword and nodded for Yuri to back away.
'There are only three of them. Maybe two more as reinforcements, but otherwise, the camp seems empty,' Conrart calculated. 'Not bad odds, even if neither Adalbert nor Yuri fight.' He just hoped Adalbert didn't fight them either.
His eyes met Yuri's for a moment. A nod, and...
His sword flew from its sheath, cleanly parting the tent wall. Conrart was charging before the soldiers inside could realize what was happening. He went for the officer first, estimating his position by his voice. Still caught frozen in shock, the man went down before he even had a chance to turn.
Knowing their priority was freeing Adalbert and escaping, Conrart spun toward the man. He looked far worse for wear, but still just as unyielding and defiant as always. He had been shackled and tied down with heavy chains to multiple stakes driven into the rock.
Conrart didn't let himself hesitate before cutting him loose, his sword slicing through the chains and manacles. Whatever his personal feelings, Yuri wanted him freed. And at the very least, Adalbert had helped them escape in Big Cimaron.
Adalbert had been caught off-guard by the sudden rescue as well, but he was a shrewd man. As his severed bonds fell, he was already stumbling to his feet, ready to fight.
Leaving only a small portion of his attention on him, Conrart turned instead to the remaining two soldiers. They had been too stunned to react in time to save their commanding officer and were only now bringing their weapons to bear.
But Conrart suspected he wouldn't be able to take them both down before they called for reinforcements.
One was already opening his mouth to yell as Conrart rushed at them. However, Yuri had not been idle either. A burst of magic hit everyone in the tent, dragging them into the familiar illusion of a flower hurricane. The two soldiers hesitated, stunned, but Conrart charged through, not letting the momentary blindness distract him.
His sword intercepted one of the soldiers, the guard, while the other scrambled away, heading for the tent entrance. He didn't get far as Conrart neatly spun around and slashed again.
In bare moments, their impromptu assault and rescue operation had ended, apparently successful.
Still they didn't have time to linger. With a firm hand on Yuri's shoulder, Conrart herded his king toward the opening he had cut in the tent wall. Glancing back, he jerked his head at Adalbert to follow. The man's eyes narrowed, but he didn't protest.
The campsite was empty, and forsaking subtlety for speed, Conrart led the way straight to the path down the mountain. They all but ran downhill, Conrart only sparing a glance to make sure Adalbert was keeping up - pale, but determined, the man doggedly followed.
Blowing past the teahouse, they were soon at the turnoff to where Pochi had remained hidden. It was only once they had plunged into the concealing forest that Conrart slowed down, letting both Yuri and Adalbert catch their breath.
Adalbert spoke first.
"Why did you do that?" he asked. "I can see you already have the sword. There was no need to help me." He scowled. "I didn't need your help."
"We couldn't just leave you!" Yuri protested, straightening though his shoulders were still heaving.
Adalbert pinned him with a piercing glare. "Why? Is it... because of Julia? Are you following her will still?" His fists clenched. Just the thought of her was painful. 'Julia... Are still trying to protect me?' he wondered.
Surprised, Yuri could only stare for a moment. Slowly, his expression hardened with something like anger. "Still?" he repeated, his lips thinning. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"The same as in Big Cimaron," Adalbert snapped, refusing to even look at Yuri any longer. All the things he had seen in that memory-illusion were coming back to him - Julia, grieving, laughing, seeing her future, choosing to trust in this boy... It was too much.
"You're wrong!" Yuri shouted, startling both Adalbert and Conrart. The two men stared at him in surprise as he continued, "I was the one that chose to go back and tell you those things! Miss Julia had chosen not to tell you anything. She can't change her mind, you know!"
He looked away, shoulders shaking.
"Maybe I made a mistake," he continued, cutting across Adalbert's protest. "I understand now. She wanted you to move on, forget about her. All I ended up doing was opening old wounds." More quietly, he added, "And... she was trying to be kind to me, so that I wouldn't have to live in her shadow."
Abortively, Conrart reached for Yuri, only to hesitate.
"I was the one that decided to help you," Yuri said, his voice quiet but even. His grip on Morgif tightened, making the sword moan quietly. "It's what I decided for myself. Because you're... Even if you turned your back on the Demon Tribe, you're still one of my people! This is what I decided to do as the Demon King!"
Their gazes locked, and looking into Yuri's dark eyes, Adalbert could only think that he had not once heard Julia raise her voice.
Finally, he looked away, letting himself slump in exhaustion. "...I don't need your charity, or your protection," he said. "I hate the Demon Tribe. I'll say it now: I don't acknowledge you as any liege of mine, you brat."
Something about that made Yuri smile suddenly and chuckle.
"That's okay," Yuri said, shrugging. "I'm used to not being acknowledged."
Adalbert scowled, not entirely liking his tone. Something about it just seemed to say, 'It's just a matter of time. Just you wait.' Behind Yuri, Conrart smiled blandly, somehow still conveying the same feeling.
"Anyway, we should get going," Yuri declared, his usual spirit quickly returning. If anything, he seemed more determined than before. "You're still injured, so you shouldn't run around up and down the mountain. That's okay. We've got a ride for you!"
"What?" Adalbert wondered, staring at him.
"Isn't that right, Pochi?" Yuri continued, ignoring Adalbert.
'Pochi? What kind of name is that?' Adalbert wondered. His trained battle instincts prickled suddenly, sensing something at his back. He spun around, his gaze going up and up and up, as something massive rose suddenly out of the shrubbery.
It was big, blue and scaly. It was a dragon. It was, apparently, named Pochi.
Vaguely, Adalbert wondered if he was hallucinating.
"I've got a big favor to ask you, Pochi," Yuri continued, moving to pet the massive snout that lowered down to nuzzle at him. "Can you take this guy home? He's like you. He's been away for a while now, and I'm sure his family really misses him. So can you take him with you back to the dragon preserve? I'll tell Alford for you, okay?"
The dragon's massive, intelligent eyes studied Yuri for a long moment, before Pochi snorted and bumped Yuri playfully.
"You're so great, Pochi!" Yuri exclaimed, throwing his arms around the big blue snout. "I knew I could count on you!"
"Wait, what?" Adalbert wondered, suddenly realizing what was happening. He had unwisely, but understandably allowed himself to be swept along at Yuri's pace. "I'm not going back to the Demon Kingdom!"
"It would seem that you are," Conrart told him, looking vaguely - fakely - conciliatory. "He's right, you know. Your father has been very concerned for you."
Adalbert snarled. "Don't bring him into this! And don't think for a moment that you'll be able to force me to return!"
"Well, not me..." Conrart agreed.
"Okay, Pochi!" Yuri exclaimed behind them. He pointed at Adalbert. "Take him away!"
Pochi roared an affirmative and rushed at Adalbert. Even at his best, the man would have been hard-pressed against a dragon. In his present state, he had no chance to even put up his guard before Pochi had thrown him over one massive shoulder and spread his wings.
The dragon leapt into the air like a shot, easily taking flight despite Adalbert's protests. They were soon too far up for the man to do anything but shift to a more secure position and cling to the dragon's scaly hide. The vicious scowl he sent down to the other two went unnoticed - or perhaps ignored.
"Bye! Have a safe trip!" Yuri called out, waving energetically until Pochi disappeared from sight, his pale blue scales blending remarkably well even with the overcast sky.
Standing next to him, Conrart couldn't help but join in, though in a far more reserved manner.
Finally, Yuri sighed and let his arm drop. "I'm glad they're both off safely," he said, "but now we have no ride. We're gonna have to walk down one mountain, up another..." He sighed again.
"I could carry you," Conrart offered, smiling, "if you wish, Your Majesty."
"I can still walk on my own. I told you, I don't let even my brother do that anymore," Yuri shot back, scowling playfully. His expression shifted a little as he looked away. "And I'd prefer if you called me by my name. Did you forget what it is? Honestly, weren't you the one that suggested it in the first place?"
He didn't look or sound particularly upset, but something about the line of his shoulders made Conrart reach out to comfort him.
"Of course," he said gently, "Yuri. I won't forget. After all, we made a promise, between just the two of us."
That promise, in Francia's dungeon, when Conrart hadn't even known who Yuri really was and Yuri hadn't really known anything about Conrart, had already been fulfilled. But the fact that it had been made remained a precious memory to him.
And it seemed to mean something more to Yuri too, who smiled and ducked his head.
"W-well, let's get going!" Yuri announced suddenly, striding forward with a little too much determination. "Those mountains aren't going to climb themselves!"
As Conrart followed after him, Yuri wondered, 'I wonder if Flynn and Alford made it back already...'
~.~.~
The meeting hall had slowly filled with delegates, all nervous and uneasy as they clustered together and exchanged what scraps of news they had. Rumors and speculations had already begun flying, each more far-fetched than the last.
Smiling half-heartedly, Antoine nodded in greeting to Heathcrife, who was deep in conversation with the representatives of Cavalcade and Sondergard - probably reassuring them, by the looks of things. Lyla was a steady presence at his side as Antoine looked around in search of some clue to the reason a sudden emergency meeting had been called.
Or, some sign of Yuri, who inevitably seemed to be in the middle of things.
But the Demon King's distinctive black-black-black ensemble was missing from the press of delegates. At first, Antoine assumed he had simply not arrived yet, but in the corner of the room, he could see the tall, imposing figure of Yuri's advisor, standing next to a man with bright orange hair and noticeably commoner attire.
Lord Von Voltaire, whom Antoine had met only briefly after they fled from Big Cimaron, had a more terrifying than usual frown on his face, making Antoine hesitate for a moment. Still, there was nothing else to be done. Squaring his shoulders, the king of Francia strode toward the strangely abbreviated Demon Kingdom delegation.
"Hello!" he called out a little too forcefully, only to cower as Gwendal's dark look turned on him. "I was just, um, wondering where Yuri was," Antoine stammered. "Is he... not feeling well? He seemed alright earlier..."
"So he came to see you," Gwendal noted, looking even more annoyed.
"Well, yes," Antoine said, before realizing what his comment meant. "Oh... he's run off somewhere again, hasn't he? It's a habit of his, isn't it? Hahaha..." Somehow, Gwendal did not look amused. Quailing under his glare, Antoine offered, "He said he was going to see Lady Flynn from Caloria."
Gwendal and his best spy exchanged a look. "I haven't seen the Calorian delegation yet," Josak mentioned. "But I hear they're the ones that had everyone summoned."
Sighing, Gwendal pinched the bridge of his nose and desperately tried to stave off the building migraine.
Finally, the doors slammed open, and Belar strode in, an ugly, impatient expression on his face. His soldiers filed in after him, shutting the doors and positioning along the edges of the room, as Belar imperiously surveyed those gathered.
"Well?" he demanded. "Where is she?"
Uneasy murmurs rose across the room as the delegates glanced amongst themselves, until a clear, strong voice cut across the noise.
"I am here, King Belar," Flynn said, stepping forward as the delegates parted around her.
Alford followed after her, emerging from a back room, where they must have been waiting for everyone to arrive. His hand was on the shoulder of a tall, robed figure, firmly leading the unknown party into the meeting hall.
But there was still no sign of Yuri or Conrart.
"What is the meaning of this?" Belar asked, reining in his anger to sneer coldly.
"That is my question to you, Belar," Flynn replied just as coldly. "You had claimed that you had no knowledge of any representative of Small Cimaron arriving on this island. But that was a lie."
On cue, Alford shoved the cloaked figure forward, making him stumble and fall to his knees. The hood was yanked back to reveal the gaunt, unshaven features of Maxine.
Belar's expression was annoyed, but not surprised, as if this was only a minor inconvenience.
"This man," Flynn continued, "is Nigel Wise Maxine, one of Small Cimaron's military commanders. He was the one who brought the Box to Caloria." She forcefully stilled her trembling fists. "He was also being pursued by your soldiers, having escaped from them earlier today."
A moment of stunned silence, then the hall burst into frantic whispers. The delegates all glanced at Belar, trying to gauge his reaction and his intent.
'He had a Small Cimaron commander prisoner?' Antoine thought. 'Doesn't he care how Small Cimaron will react? More than that, if he would do something like that to Small Cimaron, he could do the same to any country's representative...'
Of course, he had already known that. Antoine shivered, remembering his own short, nerve-wrecking stay in Belar's hospitality. Then, he had been barely more than an object to bait the Demon Kingdom into Big Cimaron, but the strain of knowing his life was constantly on the line had been almost too much.
'He's mad,' Antoine thought, not for the first time. That feeling was still gut-deep and terrifying. 'He's absolutely mad...'
Belar remained unbothered by the accusation. He didn't even try to deny it.
"If you're learned that much from him, then I'm sure he has already informed you that he is not a representative of Small Cimaron," Belar noted, waving one hand dismissively. "For his failure in Caloria, he has been stripped of his rank and even citizenship. The same was true for his... comrades."
'In other words, there was no need for Belar to notify us of their presence,' Gwendal thought grimly. 'High-handed, but not technically untrue.'
"Furthermore, this man came here with the intent to assassinate me," Belar continued. "It's only natural that I should take him prisoner." He paused, looking mockingly down on Flynn. "Or... is that too merciful for your taste? I can assure you, he will pay for his crime with his life."
Flynn matched his disdainful look. "I want to see him punished for his crimes," she said, "not disappear into some Cimaron dungeon."
"Oh?" Belar drew out, smirking. "That's fine. Why don't we end his miserable existence here and now? There's nothing like a good execution to liven things up."
Surprisingly, it was Heathcrife who spoke up. "If I understand correctly, this island no longer allows public executions," he noted mildly. "I heard the laws were changed after an incident at the last Fire Festival."
"An incident?" Antoine repeated. Around him, the other delegates were doing the same.
"That's right," Josak said, a bit more loudly than necessary, his voice carrying across the hall. "They used to have a public execution on the last day of the festival. Criminals would be gathered at the coliseum and fight to the death against locals."
It was hardly a rare thing, though the thought of watching someone struggle and die turned Antoine's stomach a little.
"Then, this year, they had a kid among the criminals - part of some pirate group," Josak continued with a certain kind of relish. "And the person fighting him was a mother. Apparently, she'd just wanted to make some money to buy medicine for her sick son... so she dragged the match out too long. The guards decided to move things along, readied an arrow, and..." he demonstrated, pulling back an invisible bow, "she just suddenly jumped in front of it."
The conclusion was so sudden, Antoine flinched in surprise.
"I guess it was just an instinct, for a mother seeing a child about to be killed," Josak shrugged, seemingly unconcerned. "The whole thing turned into a spectacle, ruined everyone's day... So they made a law to prohibit public executions."
Heathcrife shot Josak a strange look. It seemed like there must have been more to the story, but Belar had clearly grown impatient.
"Van Da Via Island is a territory of Big Cimaron," Belar said dismissively. "If I order it, then an execution will be held, regardless of what their laws say."
'That's not right. Even a king can't just ignore the laws,' Antoine thought, frowning as he glanced back at Lyla. He swallowed heavily. 'Not even a king...'
"Nonetheless, this matter should not be just Big Cimaron's jurisdiction," Flynn insisted.
Belar smirked. "Eager to decide his fate yourself? Very well, feel free. I will... acknowledge your prior claim." He waved to her grandly. "Take your revenge. Just end him here."
Flynn flinched, her eyes widening as they darted to Maxine's slumped figure. The former Small Cimaron soldier sneered at her, but the fight seemed to have gone out of him. Though his narrow eyes continued to watch for any opening, he appeared to have accepted his inevitable fate.
Her expression turned hateful for a moment before Flynn pulled her gaze away from him. "No," she said sharply. "Not like this." 'Not while you watch and jeer,' she thought bitterly. 'It won't be just revenge.'
"Can't stomach it? Well, you are just a woman," Belar said with false, mocking understanding. "Why don't you have your bodyguard take him out back? He can put that fancy sword to use."
Alford glared, offended for Flynn's sake and the honor of his father's sword. But, clenching his teeth, he held himself back. Flynn had told him to let her talk, and looking at her, he could see that she didn't need to be rescued. She stood proudly, back straight, more than ready to keep fighting Belar on this battlefield of words.
"I won't be satisfied with just his death," Flynn declared, shaking her head. "I intend to get far more use out of him."
She paused taking a deep breath. Her eyes swept over the gathered delegates, representing almost every known country.
"The Boxes are a danger not just to one country, but to the entire world. The aftereffects continue to be felt across the continents," Flynn said slowly, letting every word fall heavily on her audience. "This man's actions could have destroyed not just Caloria, but the whole world, plunging us into the same darkness that threatened everything four thousand years ago."
A quiet shudder passed through all those listening, and a few of the delegates made warding signs against evil. Their records may not have been as extensive as the Demon Tribe's, but if nothing else, legends were still told of the darkness that had devoured men whole and used them as puppets against those that remained.
"But even knowing the devastation the Forbidden Boxes could unleash," Flynn continued, "he still opened them, hungering for power. A sin of this magnitude cannot be judged by any one individual or any one nation." Her eyes were sharp as she glared challengingly at Belar. "And that is why I ask the delegates to create a judicial tribunal, to reconvene in Caloria and pass judgement upon his crime."
There was absolute silence.
'...I see,' Gwendal thought, sighing quietly. 'No one will pass any judgement short of death for him. His fate is set. But this way, delegates will be forced to face the destruction in Caloria first-hand. She wants to make an impact on them, one they will not be able to deny or ignore, while simultaneously forcing them acknowledge Caloria as a free nation.' He smiled grimly, barely more than a twitch of thin lips. 'So that is how she plans to make use of him. Crude, but cunning.'
Many delegates flinched when he finally spoke, breaking the tense silence. "That is an appropriate resolution. We will send a representative," Gwendal said calmly.
Belar's eyes lingered on him with a strange expression. "Oh? Can you make that decision, Lord... Von Voltaire, wasn't it? After all, your king is somewhat... absent."
"I have no doubt that His Majesty will support this decision," Gwendal replied, meeting Belar's gaze without any apparent emotion. "Furthermore, I am acting with the power vested in me as the Demon Kingdom's representative."
Belar raised his eyebrows in a faintly doubting way, but he did not protest further. "Fine," he drawled boredly. "Do as you will. I trust that the end result will be the same."
There were more whispers, then quiet agreements.
With most of the delegates committing themselves, Belar appeared to lose what little interest he had in the proceedings. As he turned and swept out of the meeting hall, his eyes met Gwendal's again.
"Your Excellency?" Josak inquired quietly.
Gwendal nodded, knowing that his best agent was certainly following his thoughts. "There's nothing else to be done," he said. "We'll handle this now, before they get back."
Before they could depart as well, Antoine approached them, still a little nervous under Gwendal's cold expression.
"Um, I wanted to ask..." he began, looking instead to Josak.
"Don't worry, His Majesty will turn up," Josak assured him.
"Of course. Yuri is like that," Antoine agreed easily. "But that's not it. I was wondering... what happened to that mother?"
Josak stared in surprise for a moment. "I can see why you and His Majesty get along," he mused with a smile. "Things are really changing, huh? Well, the way I heard it, that mother and her son are both just fine. A wealthy visitor to the festival was moved by her plight and paid for both their treatment. And even that little pirate made it through. Hard to believe, isn't it?"
"I'm glad," Antoine said. "That they're okay, and that no one else will end up like that in future."
"It was an ancient tradition. I suppose it was past time for it to go," Josak shrugged.
Antoine looked thoughtful, glancing at his aide. "Old traditions need to be changed sometimes, don't they?" he agreed.
His hand brushed Lyla's, and their fingers gently intertwined.
~.~.~
((The last two chapter were pretty boring, so I don't blame you guys for not being excited. Then again, is this really any more interesting?))
((Interesting fact: the sequence with Adalbert was originally meant to be the opposite, Yuri worrying about being just Julia's memento, Adalbert manipulating things so Conrad would comfort Yuri about it. But somehow it ended up like this instead.))
((Also, I was originally going to include a brief showdown between Velma and Alford, but then I had to reshuffle where everyone went, so that was dropped and Adalbert's reasons for being there were also changed.))