Summary: When the Great One asked, Lady Celi von Spitzberg gave up her dreams for Shin Makoku. She couldn't stop the war, but her last choices as Maoh will determine the success of the new Maoh's rule and the happiness of her youngest son.
AN: As always, thanks to everyone who's reading this story. My apologies for not posting this chapter sooner, but I was preparing to work the artist alley at GenCon in August. If you like gaming, I highly recommend this Indianapolis convention. It has everything, including anime into the wee hours.
We have now moved to the point in time where the manga and anime begins. Yuuri is coming to take Celli's place as Maoh, leaving Wolfram at the mercy of von Hanreid. But not if Celi has anything to do with it.
I do not own Kyo Kara Maoh or its characters. This is written for fun, not for profit. Enjoy and please review. Thanks!
The Maoh's Last Command
Chapter 4: A Scent of Orchids
"It's your move, Celi Heika."
Ulrike had to repeat herself twice before Celi actually heard her. Too distracted to even apologize properly, she shifted one of the disks on the checkerboard randomly. The High Priestess jumped her exposed man.
"King me!"
Coming fully conscious of her surroundings at last, Celi surveyed the mess she'd made of their game of checkers and crowned Ulrike's man with a sigh.
"Your mind truly isn't on the game," her friend told her. "I'm going to sweep the board clean in three moves. Do you want to start again? I don't mind."
With a shake of her head, Celi slumped back in her chair. "Why bother? I'll just lose miserably again. I can't concentrate. Ulrike, what am I going to do?"
"Relax?" the diminutive woman suggested. "In a few hours, our new Maoh will arrive and your term will end. You will be free, as you always wanted to be."
Her stomach churned again. "My being Maoh is the only thing that stands between my Wolfram and that…that…!"
Celi knew no word strong enough to describe the man. In the years since von Hanreid and her brother signed that cursed contract, she had learned a lot about the man, none of it good, none of it provable before a court of his peers.
Gregor von Hanreid had wed five times – once since the contract signing – each marriage elevating his status or increasing his assets until he was the most powerful lord in Shin Makoku other than the Ten Aristocrats, equal to them in prestige and wealth. Each spouse died far too young and far too soon. His first wife bled out in childbirth to be buried with her stillborn daughter. Another died in a flu epidemic. The next broke her neck jumping a fence when her horse balked inexplicably and threw her. The fourth passed away in his sleep while von Hanreid was at Blood Pledge Castle for Conrart's coming of age celebration.
After that the whispers began. People called him the Shadow Groom behind his back and the noble families stopped inviting him to the coming out balls of their sons and daughters.
No one knew for sure how he got his fifth spouse, Marissa Linden, daughter of a wealthy landowner, but the most prevalent rumor claimed that her older brother had committed a heinous crime and her hand in marriage was the price of von Hanreid's silence.
The poor girl was only just of legal age when he married her. Most of the nobility were mildly scandalized at that, but all Celi felt was relief that her Wolfram was safe. Her heart sympathized but not enough to wish a different fate for her. Not that it would have done her any good if Celi had.
The father and brother died in a human raid, leaving Marissa – and her husband – the sole heir to an estate that included an iron mine and vast acreages of viable farmland. Just what a man needed to make himself indispensible in war time.
When word came two weeks ago of Marissa von Hanreid's death after a long, wasting illness, the only thing that surprised Celi was that it had taken so long.
"Until there is irrefutable proof of what we suspect, we cannot accuse him," Ulrike reminded her. "You must trust in the Great One. Did he not give you his word to prevent Wolfram's marriage to von Hanreid?"
"I thought he had when von Hanreid married his last wife."
"Von Hanreid did that for many reasons, not least of which was to give you no cause to continue your legal research." Shinou appeared beside the gaming table. Neither of them jumped, used to his playing spectator to their entertainments. Sometimes he even played himself with one of them making his moves for him. "He was beginning to worry you'd find a loophole he missed."
Celi slumped, "And now it's too late."
Shinou tsked her. No one had tsked her since she was a little girl.
"Really, Celi, after all these years, you still have no faith in me?"
"Why should I?" she demanded. "You couldn't even stop a war. For a god, you don't seem to have all that much influence in the world."
Ulrike gasped at the near blasphemous words, but Shinou only came over to sit beside her on the divan and place his shadowy hand over hers. It was as close as he could come to giving physical comfort.
"Sometimes we must endure horrible things in order to give birth to greater, better things. Think of it this way. A woman is destined to give birth to a child who will kill a thousand people in an enraged bloodbath. Should I prevent that birth?"
"Yes!" Celi answered without hesitation.
"But what if one of the people killed would have gone on to kill twenty thousand people?"
Her heart sank and she began to realize what the Great One was trying to tell her. "Then determine which one will be the murderer, kill him, and spare the rest."
"There is no way to tell until that person makes the choice setting his or her life's path. Even if I had that option, I'd have 999 people never meant to live beyond that moment making choices never meant to be made. What if just one of them married? Then someone loses their destined mate, destined children are never born. More unintended lives come into the world to make unintended choices…"
"Alright, you've made your point!" Celi covered her eyes with her hands, and then dragged them down to cover her mouth. Just thinking of the possible ramifications…. In his shoes, Celi knew she'd be paralyzed, never have been able to make any kind of decision.
Shinou explained, "I do not know at this point in time who Wolfram's destined one will be, but I can assure you that it is not Gregor von Hanreid."
His forceful proclamation eased her heart. A little.
Celi looked into confidently smiling face. "Swear it to me."
Shinou held his right hand over his heart in solemn pledge. "I swear it. Now you must go and get ready to meet the new Maoh. Afterwards, come see me. Tell me what you think of him. And we'll play one last game of your choice." He winked, "I may even let you win."
"As if that were ever necessary." Celi teased him, a thank you for his efforts to cheer her up.
Before she stepped out the door, Shinou suggested, "Why don't you take a long hot soak when you get back to Blood Pledge Castle. Relax. You're radiating stress when everyone will be expecting you to be quite happy now that the transition is finally happening."
With a shrug, Celi left. As she stepped up into her waiting carriage, she resolved set aside her fears and do just that. Her reign as Maoh taught her over and over again that no amount of worrying changed things, and sometimes your only option was to watch where the cards fell and salvage what you could.
She had Shinou's oath, and a god's promise is a powerful thing.
-o0O0o-
Gwendal met her in the courtyard, looking so handsome that she managed a real smile for him.
"Oh, Gwennie, you are definitely going to make a fine impression on our new Maoh. Has he arrived yet?"
"Yes, though not where we expected. Conrart and Gunter have gone with an escort to fetch him."
She slapped his shoulder playfully, "You make him sound like a package! I'll leave things to you. I know I can trust my boys to handle everything."
Her eldest son's brow drew down into what was becoming a habitual frown, forming an extra line above the bridge of his nose. "Are you alright, Mother? The Great One didn't have bad news for you, did he?"
"Of course not. I just went to play that checkers game with Ulrike that Conrart brought back from his travels. There's really been nothing for me to do since word came that of the new Maoh's imminent arrival. Why do you ask?"
"You seem tense, distracted."
Celi glossed over that with "It was a bumpy trip. I'm a bit achy. A hot bubble bath will take care of that." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Let me know when they get back, hmm?"
But Gwendal didn't let up. "Are you fine with this?"
His concern touched her. "You're so sweet to worry about me!" She hugged him, resting her cheek against his chest. "I'm perfect, Gwendal. I never really wanted to be Maoh in the first place. To be completely honest, when Ulrike announced that the 27th Maoh was coming, I cheered in my heart. I doubt I was the only one. Admit it; I wasn't the best rule Shin Makoku has ever had."
To her surprise, Gwendal gave her his small, rare smile. "With the war over and Stoffel no longer influencing your decisions, I'm sure given more time you would have surprised them all. Have more faith in yourself, Mother. Shinou chose you for a reason."
"Thank you, sweetie. And I'm sure that with you, your brothers, and Gunter supporting him, our new Maoh will have a much stronger start than I did."
"Assuming he's worthy of it," he harrumphed.
Celi waggled a finger under his nose. "Ah, ah, ah! The Great One chose him too. I'll see you at dinner."
As she entered her rooms, Celi wondered what was it with everyone telling her to have faith – in Shinou, in herself, and by extension, the future. Perhaps it was time she listened. She stepped out of her clothes without her dressers who were no doubt helping the maids prepare the chambers next door for their new Heika. Wrapping a thick bath sheet around herself, Celi caught up the waiting basket of toiletries her maids always kept ready at the door to the baths and walked in.
Steaming hot water waited for her. Celi settled into the hug tub with a heartfelt sigh, careful to keep her hair out of the water, and eased back against the tiles. Reaching back into the basket, she pulled out the selection of bottles of bath oils. Among them was a bottle of her orchid perfume. There must be a new maid on staff, Lasagna and the others knew her preferences well enough by now not to have made the mistake. She set it on the edge of the tub to return to her dresser after her bath. After careful consideration of the remaining bottles, Celi decided on the honeysuckle scent, and returned the rest to the basket.
As she soaped and rinsed, Celi remembered the last time she'd seen Gregor von Hanreid. When he contacted her on Wolfram's 80th birthday, she'd told him in no uncertain terms that while she was Maoh, there was no way he was coming anywhere near her son, and to hell with any damn contract. He'd backed off then, but the minute he learned that she was no longer Maoh, the despot would be back, contract in hand and waving his rights like a banner before him. And the law would be on his side.
Unless she got the new Maoh to also refuse to honor the contract. Yes! Why hadn't she considered that before? As soon as the dust of his arrival settled, she'd take him aside and explain things. She'd be able to convince him and everything would be fine. Her baby boy would be safe.
A racket in the next suite startled her out of a light doze. The Maoh must have arrived. No way was she meeting the man who held Wolfram's fate in his hands like this. She rose quickly, scrambling everything up in her arms and darted back to her room. Dumping everything on the bed, she wrapped up in a fresh towel and fingered her hair until it was presentable. Once satisfied she looked dignified and appealing, Celi returned to the bath to "accidentally" meet her successor.
Through the steam she saw him bent over rinsing, of all things, her orchid perfume out of his hair. She'd have to make sure he washed it again thoroughly to minimize any possible effects. Celi stepped into the bath to join him.
Then he raised his head to stare at her in wide-eyed blushing shock.
She managed to keep her smile as she approached, but behind her eyes she wanted to weep. Oh, Shinou, he's still only a child!
The poor boy's face had gone as red as a fresh sunburn while he struggled to stand and cover himself at the same time.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't know this was a unisex bath."
"Oh, no" she reassured him. "Don't mind me, I came in here out of habit and didn't know you'd already arrived. This is the Maoh's private bath. You're the new Maoh, right?"
The black-haired youngster turned to answer, forgetting to hide himself for a moment. On realizing that, he went redder than she'd thought humanly possible and fled the room so fast, the breeze he raised stirred her hair.
Celi slumped into a sigh, so much for an auspicious first meeting.
-o0O0o-
Gisela came out of her son's room and gave her a reassuring smile. "He'll be fine. I've healed the bruising. All he needs now is a good night's sleep to replenish his majutsu."
"Thank you, Gisela." Celi slipped quietly into Wolfram's room to find him sprawled across the bed staring up at the canopy.
"Is he awake yet?"
"Not yet, but Gisela says he's only exhausted and will wake in his own time." Celi perched on the edge of the bed and gently brushed at her son's hair. "How are you?"
"Embarrassed. Angry. I don't know, Mother, I don't understand what happened. I normally have better control than that!"
"Well," she reasoned, "the heat of battle affects everyone differently, and no two battles are the same. Wolvie, may I ask something of you?"
He nodded without looking at her.
"Be patient with Yuuri Heika. He is new to our world and likely feels lonely and scared. He needs a friend. As his fiancé, you're in a unique position to help him find his way."
Wolfram pushed up so he rested on his elbows and gave her an earnest stare. "Of course I'll help him. He's our King. It's my duty to do my best to support him and our country." But then he dropped his gaze, "Assuming he lets me."
"Of course he will. Yuuri's a sweet, kind boy. He spared you, didn't he? The rules of your duel gave him every right to ask any price he wanted." Celi leaned over to kiss the crown of his head and stood to retire. "Sleep tight. I'll see you at breakfast."
"Good night, Mother."
As Celi entered her own bedroom, she saw Shinou on the balcony, moonlight shining eerily through his silhouette. She joined him, leaning on the railing.
"That was your plan? A bottle of perfume?"
The Great One smiled into the night. "It worked, didn't it?"
-o0O0o-
AN: We're nearly there, one more chapter to go. In A Last Command, I tackle alternate reasons for Celi's ceaseless voyages in search of free love. I ought to have it typed and posted by the weekend. But it's not the end. The story continues in the coming Yuuri/Wolfram-centered sequel, What Belongs to Me. Meanwhile, please review this chapter and let me know how it worked for you. Thanks again for reading!