Part Twenty-Four
Very Brief Recap
- Murata catches up with the elopers
- Oh nos! They should have waited until they were married to have sex!
- This is why you practice abstinence, children...
Warnings
- What the heck is that?!
- I thought it was supposed to look like this!!!
Characters
Yuuri - Guine
Wolfram - Mikage
Jade - Guine
Hale - Guine
Murata - Mikage
Covering the Bases
Part Twenty-Four - New Signals for an Old Trick
Murata - "He'd be considered impure, even if the baby is yours. If that happens, then you will not be permitted to marry until the impurity is gone."
Wolfram - *blanches*
Yuuri - *feels the color in his face drain as well* "What?? But... why?? That's..." *shakes his head, getting annoyed/has to make sure he keeps his voice lowered* "How is an innocent baby impure??"
Murata - *shrugs* "If it was created outside of the union of marriage, then the act of procreation itself was base and impure, which would then render its product impure as well. Illegitimate children are not held in high regard in this world, Shibuya, even children of kings."
Yuuri - *hits his fist against the top of the table a bit harder than he intended, almost knocking over his glass/quickly pulls his hands down in his lap to control himself* "That's... " *clenches his teeth together, obviously pissed*
Murata - "It's the way of the world. Things were once very similar on Earth, if you'll remember. It wasn't too long ago that having a child out of wedlock was heavily frowned upon."
Wolfram - *completely silent, staring off into space/feels like a moron*
Yuuri - *takes a deep breath to control himself* "Whatever... we don't even know yet... what else is there?"
Murata - *looks at him levelly, his past good humor now almost completely gone* "You should prepare yourselves. If you go there today with the thought that you will most definitely be able to get married, then you stand a chance of being highly disappointed." *shakes his head* "And there are other things you must consider in the event that he is found impure."
Yuuri - *clenches his teeth together, definitely not liking how this was turning out* "Like what...?"
Murata - "If an impurity is discovered, and really the only impurity they could accurately find would be pregnancy, then you will be turned away. Von Bielefeld will be unfit to marry you until, like I said, the impurity is gone. Now, there are two ways to 'get rid' of the impurity, and I realize that's not the best way to term it, but it's what The Church will see it as."
Yuuri - *shakes his head* "No... If there is a baby, then... No one is going to hurt it..."
Murata - *frowns* "I understand how you feel, but you need to think this through, Shibuya. If there is a baby, and it remains an 'if' at this point, then you can be confident that the priest and healer at the church will keep the information confidential. No one will find out for a while, but you'll only be able to keep it a secret for a few months until it's no longer possible to hide it. What do you think will happen when the Royal Court inevitably finds out?"
Wolfram - *tears fill his eyes, and he turns his face away in the hopes that no one will see/why was he getting so emotional?? he‘d already figured this was how it was going to turn out…/of course, he feels stupid for not considering all this before - he‘d known it all, and yet it hadn‘t impacted his decision at all*
Yuuri - *stares at him, absolutely horrified* "But... that's not fair... "
Murata - *shakes his head at his words* "Maybe it isn't, but it's the way things are. Von Bielefeld will lose all credibility. The noblemen and women, and The Aristocrats will look at him, and see him as nothing more than a whore. His reputation will be ruined forever."
Yuuri - *continues to stare at him before finally turning to Wolfram, reaching out to place his arm around him, leaning down to try and see his face* "Wolf...?"
Wolfram - *shakes his head and continues to look away from him/he‘d brought this upon himself*
Murata - *falls silent for a moment, allowing them some time to themselves, though he watches closely*
Yuuri - *slides his chair directly next to Wolfram’s before he tries again, wrapping his other arm around him as well to pull him closer* "Wolf...? Are you okay...?" *already knows the answer*
Wolfram - *shakes his head again, refusing to look at him and remaining silent*
Yuuri - *watches him for a bit, then leans closer to kiss his forehead/whispers* "I love you..."
Wolfram - *still silent, lowering his eyes to continue looking away*
Yuuri - *doesn't know what to say to him/pulls him closer before turning to send a misdirected glare at Murata* "Is that all...?"
Murata - *thinks before speaking, frowning deeper* "There is a way to protect him and take the blame onto yourself..." *shakes his head, obviously not liking the idea* "But that would require you to confess to rape."
Yuuri - *stares at him for a moment before glancing back down at Wolfram, then nods his head* "That's fine... If there is a baby, then I'll do it..."
Murata - *stares at him seriously* "It's a bad idea, Shibuya. If you do that, what do you suppose our allies will think of you? Do you think any of the other human countries will want to sign treaties with us if they think of our king as a rapist? They would lose all trust in you." *actually, they probably wouldn’t care, but he wanted him to think everything through before making any sort of decision*
Yuuri - *stares, frozen for a few long moments* "I.... but... I can't just..."
Murata - *sighs deeply* "There's another way to 'get rid' of the impurity, rather than waiting for it to be removed at birth..."
Yuuri - *eyes grow wider, pretty much able to guess what he was suggesting/quickly shakes his head* "No... That won't happen... I..." *turns to look at Wolfram again, begging* "Don't... if you are... then I'll confess... Just... don't worry about it... please..."
Wolfram - *finally looks up at him, shaking his head again/upset* "You can't confess to something like that!"
Yuuri - *stares desperately at him* "Yes, I can..."
Wolfram - "No, you can't! If you do, I'll deny it! I'll do everything in my power to prove that you're lying!" *still has tears in his eyes, but he steadfastly refuses to let them fall* "I'm not going to let you lie for me. You're not the kind of person who'd do something like that anyway!"
Yuuri - *lifts his hand to brush back the blond's bangs before gently holding his cheek* "Wolf... You're not going to be considered some kind of a whore because of me... I won't allow it..."
Murata - *continues to look at them/remains frowning* "There are herbal remedies that, at this early in the child's development, can be used to terminate the pregnancy."
Wolfram - *turns to stare at him with wide eyes, shaking his head quickly* "No!! I'm not going to do that!!"
Yuuri - *stares at him as well, quickly and defensively wrapping his arms around Wolfram, holding him to his chest* "No... That's not going to happen... I'm going to confess... End of story..."
Wolfram - *pushes away from Yuuri, glaring at him, though with tears still flooding his eyes he doesn't seem very threatening at all* "No!! I won't ever marry you if you confess to something like that just to protect me!"
Yuuri - *stares at him, eyes still wide* "But... Wolf... there isn't any other way...."
Wolfram - "Then... I'll have to live with it..."
Yuuri - *shakes his head* "You'll be miserable... I won't have it... I won't have people look down on you because of me..."
Wolfram - "It's my problem, Yuuri. It's my fault in the first place. I knew the consequences of what I was doing when I told you what I wanted, and I intend to take responsibility. I don't care..." *trembles ever so slightly* "... I don't care what people think..." *only he does, very much so*
Yuuri - *shakes his head again* "No... You won't have your reputation ruined because of me... If... if you refuse to marry me... then... that's fine... I'll still always love you... But I won't have you put yourself out on the line like that."
Wolfram - "If I didn't marry you eventually, how do you think that would look?!" *talking a little louder than he'd intended* "I can have a baby now, and then you can confess, and I can keep at least parts of my reputation, but what happens if we have another child?! Do you think they'll believe it's rape then?!"
Yuuri - *watches him sadly, not really knowing what to say* "But... people change... Our relationship.... people would just see that we've grown closer in our relationship... And..." *trails off, trying to work everything out in his mind*
Wolfram - *shakes his head again* "No... I won't let you. The trust of our allies and our people is more important than what the Royal Court thinks of me."
Yuuri - *frowns, not backing down* "Wolf... You're not going to have your reputation ruined. I won't allow it. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I won't let you have everything that you have ruined because of me."
Wolfram - "You can't do that. You can't put me before the kingdom." *has to struggle against his tears again, but luckily he manages to keep them at bay* "I'll hate myself more if you do."
Yuuri - *stares desperately at him, starting to panic just slightly, reaching out to brush at his hair some* "Wolf... this is your life... everything you've worked for... I... it's my fault for everything... You have no reason to worry or hate yourself for anything. This is just me... "
Wolfram - "I wanted it, Yuuri. And if I have it, then I'm going to live with it. It was my choice."
Yuuri - *stares at him longer, trying to study him/sadly* "You.... you're going to be miserable either way.... aren't you....?"
Wolfram - *smiles at him sadly* "Yes, because either way I'll make them believe me over you. If you don't confess, then they'll know right away, and if you do confess, then I won't marry you, and I'll wait, and I'll have another child, and another, and another, until it's obvious that it was never rape in the first place."
Yuuri - *mouths wordlessly at him before closing his eyes, trying to think/suddenly opens his eyes again, turning to Murata* "Wait... You said that at some large churches they had healers on staff..."
Murata - *looks at him in silence for a moment, then sighs* "Shibuya, I realize you're faced with a difficult choice and that you're currently in disguise at the moment, but please remember exactly who you are. Do you honestly think von Bielefeld would be allowed to marry you if he wasn't pure? One way or another, they'd have to find out, and if that means making you wait for a healer to arrive, then they'll make you wait. The Church is very strict about these sorts of things."
Yuuri - *shakes his head again* "But if they don't know who I am until after we're married... then they can't do anything about it..."
Murata - *narrows his gaze a bit* "If you marry under any name but your own, it won't be recognized by the law."
Yuuri - *shakes his head again, grinning some* "Oh! I'll marry under my own name!" *stares up at the ceiling, trying to think more* "We've just got to find some way to get them to marry us without knowing..."
Murata - *narrows his eyes more* "Shibuya... they will ask for your name when you arrive. Once you say it, no amount of disguising will prevent them from knowing who you are."
Yuuri - *frowns some, seriously considering it* "Unless they're just stupid..."
Murata - *full out glaring now* "Tell me you honestly don't believe that. The entire country knows that you're missing. You think once you say your names are 'Yuuri Shibuya' and 'Wolfram von Bielefeld' they won't know?"
Yuuri - *thinking more* "Okay... what about a way to mask any kind of life force, or whatever, if there really is a baby...? There has to be some way to get around it if he really is..."
Wolfram - *shakes his head/taking deep breaths to calm himself down, forcing his tears away* "Yuuri, there isn't. And even if you did find a way to mask it, they'd feel that, and then they'd know we have something to hide."
Murata - "And you have to remember that your own life force is strong; that's how Ulrike is able to keep track of you. Any child of yours would have one just as strong."
Yuuri - *gnashes his teeth together/refuses to just give up like that* "Then... there has to be some other way... Any other way..."
Murata - *shakes his head solemnly* "There isn't."
Yuuri - *getting annoyed again* "Bull! There has to be a way! I won't let Wolfram suffer because of me!"
Wolfram - *reaches out to grab onto his arm, as if to prevent him from doing anything rash* "Yuuri, please... we... we don't even know yet. We could be worrying for nothing. We..." *swallows heavily* "We should just go, and try... and see what happens from there."
Yuuri - *turns to look at him, instantly calming some* "Wolf.... but if you are...."
Wolfram - *repeats the same thing he's said all along* "Then I'll live with it. Yuuri, I... I'll be okay. I'll still have you, and the baby, and Greta, and my family. They won't turn against me."
Yuuri - *slowly shakes his head at him* "No... There has to be some way...." *turns back to Murata* "Will there be a way for him to regain his credibility? Is... is there any way....? After a few years, maybe? I... I don't want him... I can't let him...." *trails off, shaking his head again*
Murata - "I'm sure that, after a while, it won't matter much to some members of the Court, but there will always be those who don't approve, and you can be sure that they'll make themselves heard." *smiles lightly at the both of them, trying to ease their moods and offer some kind of reassurance and sympathy* "But, at the same time, once you're married it won't matter what they think or say. They may see him as a whore, but they'll still have to follow his orders."
Yuuri - *stares at him for a moment before he’s unable to take it any more/turns to Wolfram wrapping his arms tightly around him, burying his face into his hair, now trying to hold back his own tears/whispering softly* "Wolf... I love you... I love you so much... I'm sorry... I want to help... I want to be able to do something... I... I just... I'm sorry...."
Wolfram - *lifts his arms to hug him back* "It's not your fault. Please, don't be sorry. I wanted it, Yuuri; I really did." *pulls away enough to look at him* "I've never been happier than I am when I'm with you. I'd gladly give up everything else just to be able to stay with you." *pauses to try and compose himself, feeling his eyes sting again* "It'll hurt, to hear what people have to say, I won't lie about that, but not being able to be with you would hurt ten times more. They can take away my reputation, my credibility, they can make me out as a whore, but they can't take away what we have. And that's the most important thing, isn't it?"
Yuuri - *stares into his eyes, trying to ignore how blurry his vision was getting* "Wolf... I don't want you to have to go through that... I don't want anyone to say anything bad about you... I... I want to stay with you too... I just... it's not fair..."
Wolfram - *shakes his head, smiling lightly* "Life's never fair, Yuuri."
Yuuri - *shakes his head as well, closing his eyes to stop the stupid tears* "I want to be able to do something... I want to help... there has to be something I can do..."
Wolfram - *lifts his hands to frame his face, forcing him to look directly into his eyes* "You can love me. That'll be enough, Yuuri. That's all I'll ever need."
Yuuri - *opens his eyes to look at him, unable to stop a few tears from escaping* "Wolf... I do love you... I'll always... I just wish there was something... I don't want... I..." *has to stop himself, for more tears were threatening to spill if he continued*
Wolfram - *wipes his tears away lovingly, still struggling against his own/speaks to him soothingly* "I know. I know..."
Yuuri - *trying desperately not to get so emotional/continues to ramble pointlessly* "Wolf... I love you.... I... I'm sorry... I..."
Wolfram - "Don't be sorry. You don't have anything to be sorry about. You haven't done anything but give me what I want." *kisses him lightly, hoping it gave him at least a little bit of comfort/shows him another small smile* "I'm not sorry."
Yuuri - *instantly stops to stare at him* "I... It's just..." *stops again, not knowing what to say*
Wolfram - *shakes his head, a sign for him not to worry/strokes the side of his face, then leans in to kiss him again*
Yuuri - *kisses him back, trying to control his breathing at the same time*
Murata - *sits back in his chair and watches them, but has nothing more to say at the moment/the rest was up to them*
Yuuri - *pulls back after a bit, lifting his hands to take Wolfram's from his face, kissing them both a few times/still watching him* "I want to marry you... "
Wolfram - *smiles, and it's much more genuine this time* "I want to marry you, too..."
Yuuri - *lets out a long sigh, sniffling lightly/shifts Wolfram's hands into just one of his so he could wipe the rest of the tears from his eyes* "I want to give you whatever you want..."
Wolfram - *manages a light laugh* "Then can we please go, and try to get married, and handle everything else as it comes along?"
Yuuri - *lets out another small sigh, but smiles a bit* "Sure... One step at a time..."
Wolfram - *nods in agreement, smiling a little larger this time*
Yuuri - *leans in to kiss him lightly before pulling back to smile* "Okay... are you ready....?"
Wolfram - *nods once more/takes a deep breath, then releases it slowly* "I'm ready."
Yuuri - *smiles, nodding as well/turns to look at Murata* "Well...?"
Murata - *sighs as well, standing to his feet* "Let's go, then."
Yuuri - *stands, helping Wolfram to his feet as well*
Wolfram - *allows Yuuri to help him, his smile remaining/takes hold of one of Yuuri's hands once he's up and squeezes it, holding onto it tightly*
Yuuri - *smiles back at him, holding tightly to his hand as well/waiting for Murata to lead them since he seemed like he knew everything anyway...*
Murata - *motions for them to follow him, beginning to lead them out of the tavern/most of the people who had been in there when they'd first arrived had left to get ready for their performances that morning, so their conversation had thankfully taken place in near privacy*
Yuuri - *follows him out into the street, holding tightly to Wolfram's hand/stops at the two pairs of golden eyes watching them as they left the tavern*
Jade - *smiling brightly* “I pray everything has been settled. If ever you require assistance, we will happily oblige."
Hale - *nods as well*
Murata - *smiles at them* "Actually, if it wouldn't be too much trouble, we'll be trying to meet up with some friends once we're through. We'd appreciate the escort. They shouldn't be more than a half day's journey away."
Jade - *smiles at him, giving a small bow* "Whatsoever you wish."
Yuuri - *nods in thanks to them, but is paying most of his attention to Wolfram*
Wolfram - *is trying to keep his facial expression neutral, so that Yuuri is unable to tell just how worried he still is about everything*
Murata - *nods to the twins before beginning to lead Yuuri and Wolfram towards the church again/he walks slowly, as if giving them some more time to sort out their thoughts and come to a final decision about what they truly want to do, turning a normal ten minute walk to another section of town into fifteen to twenty minutes/finally stops in front of a large stone building with beautiful, elaborately colored windows*
Yuuri - *forces his gaze away from Wolfram to stare up at the building, trying to shake his nervousness/turns back to the blond* "Wolf... are you sure... if we go in there.... and you are... No matter what I say... you won't let me take the blame...? I... I'm willing... I'll be able to fix everything, eventually.... I... I just don't want you to suffer...."
Wolfram - *turns to him with a smile still on his face* "I'll be okay. I want this, Yuuri."
Yuuri - *slowly nods at him, then turns to lead him up to the door, carefully pushing it open*
Wolfram - *follows him, swallowing heavily*
Yuuri - *pauses inside the door/has no idea what to do/pulls Wolfram a bit closer to him*
Murata - *takes a few steps closer to join them inside by the door/stares at Yuuri, narrowing his eyes a bit, and tries something he's only done once, and hasn't tried again since/concentrates, and speaks into Yuuri's mind* "/Shibuya.../"
Yuuri - *slightly startled, but quickly responds* "/Yeah...?/"
Murata - *serious* "/Are you sure this is what you want to do? After this, there's no turning back./"
Yuuri - *frowns* "/What do you mean by that...? I... I love Wolfram... I want to marry him... What is there to turn back from...?/"
Murata - *pauses for a moment, debating with himself on what to say/eventually sighs/it's against his better judgment to tell him something like this, since he's well aware of the consequences, but Yuuri's still his friend above all else* "/Normally one would confess to a crime they've committed to The Courts, in which case, von Bielefeld would be present. But you'll be separated during your confessions with the priest.../" *trails off*
Yuuri - *frowns more* "/Meaning....?/"
Murata - "/Once you've confessed to the priest, there will be no way to take it back. Despite the similarities, priests in this world do not always keep confessions to themselves. Depending on what it is, they'll break their silence, and inform The Courts if need be./"
Yuuri - *still frowning/not liking how he was pretty much being told not to trust a priest* "/But... what does that have to do with....?/" *not getting it*
Murata - "/You can confess to rape, and The Courts would be notified before we're able to return to the castle. Von Bielefeld won't find out right away, and when he does... it's not exactly ethical, but you can tell him that the priest must have lied as a way of protecting him himself. As long as you don't accuse him publicly, then it won't cause any problems within The Church, and the priest can go about his own business. You'll still have to wait until after the baby's birth to get married, but you can protect von Bielefeld if you want... it's sneaky and underhanded, and I'm sure he'll suspect, but.../" *pauses momentarily* "/And if it turns out that there is no child, the it won't matter. You'll have confessed to rape, but as long as there aren't any serious repercussions, then there's nothing anyone can do about it, and you can get married today./"
Yuuri - *freezes completely, unconsciously holding a bit tighter to Wolfram's hand* "/But... As much as I love Wolfram.... And as much as I want to protect him... I... I can't lie to him... I won't be able to... And he'd hate me if he found out that I'd gone against his wishes and threaten the safety of the kingdom... Wolfram... if I told him that the priest lied... I don't think he would just sit quietly... Not if it hurt the kingdom.../" *trails off, trying to think rationally about it and what would be best/doesn't want to hurt Wolfram, but doesn't want to hurt their relationship either...*
Murata - "/I realize you're worried about hurting him and protecting the kingdom. Both are important. But you have to decide what you want to do, Shibuya, and you have to take each option into account./" *pauses again, though he’s glad his friend is actually thinking things through instead of going into this blindly* "/I've already seen it, how protective and possessive you've become of him. Will you be able to sit by and listen to everyone call him a whore?/"
Yuuri - *forces himself not to shake his head, so Wolfram wouldn't get suspicious of their secret conversation* "/I won't be able to sit by and listen to everyone call him a whore... I'll fight it... I'll do everything in my power to stop it... /" *pauses, still confused about everything* "/.... What... what do you think I should do...? Wolfram... he would hate me... if he ever found out that I lied to him... I don't think I could live with hurting him more.../"
Murata - "/It doesn't matter what I think. This is about what you want. You say you'll fight it, but how, exactly, do you plan to do that?/"
Yuuri - "/I.... I don't know..../"
Murata - "/What would you do to me if I called him a whore to your face?/"
Yuuri - "/Punch you.../"
Murata - "/And would you react the same way if someone else said the exact same thing?/"
Yuuri - *remains silent for a while before continuing* "/I.... yes.../"
Murata - "/Do you know what kinds of consequences punching a member of the Royal Court would bring? A lot of people would turn against you, Shibuya. Some of your own people would start to rebel./"
Yuuri - *can feel his breathing get more labored in his panic* "/I... I don't want that... but what about the kingdom...? If I'm labeled a rapist... the entire kingdom would suffer... Wolfram wouldn't want that... If people knew their king went around raping his fiancé... People would rebel even more..../"
Murata - "/Not necessarily. There are many humans kings who've done far worse, and their people still follow him. The people would rather you rape your own fiancé than ignore their needs. There have been many king's in our country's history who've been accused of raping maids or soldiers, but no one cared to make a big deal about it as long as they ruled fairly./"
Yuuri - *starting to have even more difficulty breathing* "/But... what about our allies? They wouldn't trust me any more... And other countries won't aid us if they thought poorly of me... What if I end up ruining everything we've worked for? What if I lead the kingdom into trouble, as well as lose all of Wolfram's trust...?/"
Murata - "/Those are things we'd have to deal with later. I honestly don't think our allies will give us much of a problem. Most of them are too dependent on us. We're the ones aiding them, Shibuya. Their rulers and ambassadors may not feel comfortable letting you around their sons and daughters for extended periods of time, but they won't speak out against you. As for von Bielefeld's trust.../" *pauses/has no idea what to say about that*
Yuuri - *sighs* "/That's what I'm worried about most... I know he'll still love me... but... he said he would never marry me... How will that help anything...? I want to marry him... but I don't want to hurt him.../"
Murata - *frowns/really doesn't want to ask him this, because he knows what the answer will be* "/What's more important to you, Shibuya: von Bielefeld, or your country?/"
Yuuri - *freezes again, feeling really horrible for it/pauses for a long moment* "/.... Wolfram is more important to me than anything..../"
Murata - *sighs* "/What would he say to you if you told him something like that? Yes, he wants your love, but how do you think it would make him feel to know that if it was ever between he and the kingdom, you'd choose him? You'd let your kingdom fall, you'd let your people suffer for him?/"
Yuuri - "/I...../" *doesn't know what to say*
Murata - "/Will you be able to sit there at a state dinner and ignore people whispering about him?/"
Yuuri - "/I..../" *again, doesn't know what to say*
Murata - "/Will you be able to remain calm and keep a straight face when a foreign dignitary asks you if you mind sharing your whore?/"
Yuuri - "/No! I wouldn't... But... if it comes between that... and Wolfram... I want him to trust me... I want him to know I trust him... I just.../" *trails off again*
Murata - "/If you can't keep yourself composed when others make comments about him to your face, if you can't keep yourself from reacting, then you're better off confessing./"
Yuuri - "/He'll never trust me again!! He'll never marry me! No one would trust me! But no one else matters... If he loses faith in me... I won't be able to live with that.../"
Murata - *stares at him levelly* "/Look at me, Shibuya./"
Yuuri - *turns to do so*
Murata - *doesn't really mean what he's saying at the moment, but makes himself sounds as if he does* "/He's a slut, Shibuya. The moment he did more than kiss you, he stopped being your fiancé and became your whore./"
Yuuri - *glares at him* "Shut up!"
Wolfram - *startled/had been standing there through the entirety of their conversation, looking around/had begun to wonder what Yuuri was doing, and became concerned, but figured he just needed a moment to himself to collect his thoughts before continuing/had been squeezing his hand in reassurance every once in a while, although it hadn't seemed as if he'd noticed/at his sudden outburst, he turns to look at him in surprise* "Yuuri...?"
Yuuri - *blinks, breathing heavily/didn't mean to say anything out loud/turns to look down at him, completely torn about what he should do/glances around, then carefully leads Wolfram to the back pew to sit down, pulling him into his lap to cuddle into his chest, closing his eyes* "/What are you trying to accomplish, Murata....?/"
Murata - *ignores his questioning and continues to goad him on instead* "/Look at him, so young and beautiful. You wouldn't mind sharing, would you? Just one night, that's all I need. Just one night, and I'll give him back to you./"
Wolfram - *confused, but allows Yuuri to cuddle him*
Yuuri - *closes his eyes tighter, holding Wolfram closer* "/Please... shut up.../"
Murata - *refuses, saying similar things to what no doubt would be said and spread around as rumors within the next few years* "/I heard he slept with Lord von Rothbart, and that the child he's carrying isn't even His Majesty's."
Yuuri - "/Shut up, shut up, shut up..../"
Murata - "/Look at him, the king's pretty little whore, all dressed up and pampered, while the rest of us are ignored and shoved aside./"
Yuuri - *unable to stop the tears from leaking out, even with his eyes closed/continues to cuddle Wolfram close to his chest, trying to ignore everything being said*
Murata - "/The next time His Majesty is away, I'm going to take him for myself. So what if I have to force him into my bed? I'm sure he won't mind; he's already slept with nearly everyone else./"
Yuuri - *finally opens his eyes, tears streaming down his face/stares sadly at Murata* "/People really will say things like that....?/"
Murata - *nods at him, frowning* "/They'll say worse./"
Yuuri - *glances down at the pretty blond he was holding for a moment/nods* "/Fine... I've made up my mind... just... give me a moment.../"
Murata - *sighs* "/Don't do anything unless you're a hundred percent sure./" *sits himself down a few pews away from them, giving him his moment*
Wolfram - *cuddled against Yuuri's chest/looks up at him after a while, and is surprised to see the tears on his face/immediately worried* "Yuuri, what... what's wrong?"
Yuuri - *blinks down at him, quickly lifting a hand to brush away the tears/smiles, speaking softly to him* "I'm... just so happy... I never thought this would actually happen... I want to marry you so badly..."
Wolfram - *looks at him oddly for a moment, not quite sure he was telling the truth, especially after his outburst* "I... I want to marry you, too... I... but are you sure that's all? I mean... there's nothing wrong? There's nothing still bothering you?"
Yuuri - *slowly shakes his head, still smiling lovingly down at him* "No... I just... being here... getting ready to actually go through with everything... I'm a bit nervous..."
Wolfram - *nods a little, understanding/lifts a hand to his face to tenderly stroke his cheek/smiles back at him* "I am, too."
Yuuri - *eagerly leans back into the touch* "Wolf... I love you so much..."
Wolfram - "I love you, too." *leans in to kiss him ever so lightly*
Yuuri - *pulls him close to him, kissing him back deeply and passionately*
Wolfram - *a little surprised by his enthusiasm, but doesn't mind at all/circles his arms around his neck, clinging to him tightly*
Yuuri - *kisses him deeper, not wanting to let him go/almost as if he was afraid it would be the last time he'd be able to kiss him like he was*
Wolfram - *kisses him back deeply as well, a little overwhelmed by the intensity of it, but Yuuri seemed to need it at the moment, so he lets him continue*
Yuuri - *continues to kiss him for a while, pulling back only when it was almost impossible to breathe/keeps his eyes closed, leaning his forehead against the blond's, panting lightly* "I love you..."
Wolfram - *panting lightly as well, a little startled/Yuuri had kissed him deeply on plenty of occasions over the last week, but never quite like that* "I... I love you, too..."
Yuuri - *remains silent for a while, trying to catch his breath and work up the courage to go through with what he had already decided to do*
Wolfram - *stares at him a little longer, trying to pick out the different expressions on his face, before leaning into him and cuddling back against his chest*
Priest - *had been watching them carefully from up at the alter-thing once they'd entered, but had kept to himself/he was used to people randomly coming in between services to seek shelter from the cold, so he hadn't bothered to question them/eventually, after watching their little display, and seeing the turmoil within the taller man, he decided to quietly approach them* "Can I help you, my children?"
Yuuri - *looks up at him/determined* "We want to be married..."
Priest - *a little surprised, though he didn't know why he should be when it was obvious with how they'd been kissing that they were rather close to one another/he supposed it was the young man's determination/nods, and motions for them to rise and follow him* "I will need your names."
Yuuri - *carefully moves Wolfram off his lap, helping him stand up before moving to follow the priest/not really thrilled about giving their names to him so quickly, so he just remains silent*
Wolfram - *follows Yuuri's lead/if Yuuri wasn't going to give the old man their names, then he wasn't either*
Priest - *leads them further up the isle, but stops before the alter, turning back to look at them both with one eyebrow raised* "Your names, please."
Yuuri - *takes a deep breath, quickly glancing around to make sure no one else was around to hear them/standing up straighter, looking the man directly in the eye, though still quiet* "Shibuya Yuuri Harajuku Furi and Wolfram von Bielefeld."
Priest - *stares at him oddly for a moment, as if he's not quite sure he knows how to feel about hearing that/looks over their costumes, before lifting a hand to gently remove Yuuri's wig, as if searching for proof/when he sees the black hair, he sighs, looking sad* "Your Majesty..."
Wolfram - *stands there worriedly*
Yuuri - *stares at him for a moment before glancing nervously around again* "Y-yes..."
Priest - *speaks gently, though honestly, sounding neither angry nor judgmental* "You must understand that I am reluctant to grant your wish."
Yuuri - *watches him with wide eyes, getting a bit desperate already* "P-please... please marry us..."
Priest - *sighs again, shaking his head slowly* "I did not say I was going to turn you away." *even so, he does not seem happy/motions with a hand towards a closed door off to his left* "Please, Your Majesty, if you'll come with me. I must first hear your confession." *turns to Wolfram, motioning towards a different door* "Lord von Bielefeld, if you'd kindly wait in there."
Yuuri - *feels his breathing start to get labored again/quickly turns to Wolfram, leaning down to give him a quick kiss, pulling back to stroke his cheek lovingly/softly* "I love you... wait for me...?"
Wolfram - *nods at him, giving him another loving smile* "I will."
Yuuri - *lets out a small sigh of relief, pausing a moment longer to look at him before turning to follow the priest into the room*
Wolfram - *watches him for as long as he can, before turning to go into the other room as was requested*
Murata - *sits in the pew silently and prepares himself for the worst*
Priest - *leads Yuuri into the room and shuts the door behind them, motioning towards two chairs and waiting for him to seat himself* "Have a seat, Your Majesty."
Yuuri - *watches him nervously for a few moments, but slowly moves to one of the seats, sitting on the edge, knowing he wouldn't be able to get comfortable anyway*
Priest - *slowly sits in the other chair, folding his hands into his lap* "As I said before, I am a bit reluctant to grant your wish, but I am of the opinion that the sooner the two of you are married, the sooner you will return to the castle and take care of your responsibilities." *he speaks soothingly, noting his unease* "You must confess all of your sins before I can continue, Your Majesty. Take as much time as you need to collect your thoughts, and begin when you are ready."
Yuuri - *swallows nervously, but nods/closes his eyes before starting* "I... I've lied to my closest friends, those I can trust the most... I've completely ignored the kingdom for my own selfish wants and needs... I've hurt the person I love most in more ways than one... and I'm planning on hurting him even more in my attempt to protect him, knowing that I'll probably never have his trust again..." *pauses, trying desperately to stop the tears that were threatening to spill over again*
Priest - *listens to him carefully, nodding to let him know that he had heard and that he understood/notices the tears in his eyes* "Is there anything else, Your Majesty?" *speaks even softer, hoping not to upset him, though he would admit to being just the slightest bit curious/how many priests get to hear the king's confession, after all?*
Yuuri - *swallows again, shaking his head* "No... I... I've done something so horrible. I don't even deserve forgiveness. But I love him so much..." *opens his eyes again, completely failing in keeping the tears back* "I raped him... I raped Wolfram... Even though I love him... I... I raped him..." *almost completely sobbing now, having to bury his face in his hands/muffled* "Please... I don't want to hurt him more. I don't... I just want to marry him... That's all... I love him so much... I'd never do anything to hurt him again!!"
Priest - *stares at him silently for a long while, not quite sure what to make of that/eventually he stands and moves closer to him, laying a gentle, consoling hand against his shoulder, clearly able to see how upset this has made him/well, this certainly complicates things a bit* "How long ago was this, Your Majesty?"
Yuuri - *shakes his head, still buried in his hands/sobs* "About... five days ago... I'm sorry... I'm sorry.... I never want to hurt him again..."
Priest - *keeps his hand against the boy's shoulder, though he's fallen into deep thought/the blond who'd been with His Majesty hadn't reacted around him the way one would expect from a victim of rape/slightly confused* "Are you sure it was rape, Your Majesty? Perhaps you are mistaken. I realize that many young men of noble birth save themselves for marriage, and that is indeed the truly proper thing to do - to remain completely pure until one's wedding night - but Lord von Bielefeld seems to love you very much. He does not appear at all wary or uncomfortable in your presence, as most people do after they've been raped."
Yuuri - *shakes his head, still sobbing into his hands* "He... I did... he might have forgiven me... but he never wanted... he knows right from wrong... it was my fault... everything that has happened... it was all my fault... I don't want him to suffer because of me..."
Priest - *still kind and open-minded, though sounding slightly more serious* "Knowing right from wrong does not always prevent one from acting in a way in which may not be considered proper."
Yuuri - *shakes his head again/continues to sob* "I raped him... It's my fault... he doesn't deserve to suffer... he's too good for that..."
Priest - *still not sure whether to believe him/perhaps His Majesty thought it was truly rape, but he could just as easily be overreacting, or even lying altogether* "Did he tell you 'no?' Did he try to stop you or push you away?"
Yuuri - *really can't take having to lie - it only upset him more* "He's always telling me that he can't do things because it's improper... He didn't want me to... It was my fault..."
Priest - *serious, and persistent in his questioning* "Did he tell you 'no,' Your Majesty?"
Yuuri - *clenches his teeth through the sobs* "Yes!"
Priest - *sighs heavily, but moves to retrieve a clean handkerchief, holding it out to the distraught boy* "Are there any other sins that you wish to confess?"
Yuuri - *slowly shakes his head, taking the offered handkerchief to wipe the tears from his face*
Priest - *removes his hand from his shoulder to gently place it upon his head, atop his dark hair/quietly mumbles a prayer, before removing his hand completely* "You must pray to God and Shinou for guidance, and strive to right your wrongs. Learning from ones mistakes and bettering oneself will bring forgiveness from those above, but you must first forgive yourself. God has mercy, Shinou has mercy, but until you have freed your heart of guilt, then the sin will remain."
Yuuri - *nods, still trying to get the flow of now silent tears to stop*
Priest - *allows him a few moments to calm down before speaking again* "You may stay in here for a while longer, or you may go out and wait. I must now hear Lord von Bielefeld's confession."
Yuuri - *nods again, not moving from the chair, still shaking with the silent sobs/desperately praying that things would work out and that Wolfram would one day forgive him*
Priest - *pats him on the shoulder one last time before leaving the room/before he goes into the room where Wolfram is waiting he goes to find the healer, so that they may inspect the boy and check for any impurities*
Yuuri - *once he was finally calm enough to not look like a complete fool, he slowly makes his way out of the room, along the alter, carefully picks up the discarded wig pulling it back on his head/slowly sulks down the isle to slump into the seat next to Murata* "/You know... I'm starting to think that all this stuff about how, as king, I can get whatever I want... is just a huge load of crap.../"
Murata - *looks at him, raising an eyebrow* "/Are you now?/"
Yuuri - "/Very much so.../"
Murata - *shrugs, seemingly unconcerned* "/Good things come to those who wait./"
Yuuri - *snorts though there’s very little humor in it/goes to being emo and feeling like the worst person in the world*
Priest - *heads to a different part of the church, stopping in front of the closed door to the healer's... office-thing... whatever/lifts a hand to knock, waiting for either the apprentice, or the healer himself to open the door/remains in deep thought*
Girl - *girl with bright sea blue eyes and long, light purple hair opens the door/smiling up at him* "Yes, Father?"
Priest - *looks down at her with a serious expression on his face* "I require the assistance of you and Lord Marius."
Madeline - *because names are more fun than just 'girl'/blinks worriedly up at him, then turns to go back into the room to go find said 'Lord Marius'*
Lord Marius - *sitting at his little desk, looking through papers of... stuff... probably spells or what-have-you*
Madeline - *brushes out her robes before standing in front of his desk/shyly* "Lord Marius? Father is in need of our assistance..."
Marius - *looks up at her, curious/he hadn't heard her come in/releases a sigh and stands from his chair, pushing some of his long silver hair over his shoulder/his glasses had slipped down his nose a bit as he'd been bent over the papers on his desk, and he pushes them back up over his pale green eyes* "Come, then, Madeline." *motions for her to follow him* "We'll see if you can learn a thing or two."
Madeline - *tenses up but turns to follow* "Y-yes, sir!"
Marius - *leads her out of his little office to confront Mr. Priest/raises an eyebrow at him* "I was informed that my services were required."
Priest - *nods at him slowly* "Yes, follow me, please." *begins to lead them towards the room that he'd previously told Wolfram to wait in*
Madeline - *shyly follows/quickly trying to remember everything she knew and hoping she wouldn't have to re-attach an arm or something insane like that*
Priest - *stops outside the door and turns to them* "If you would please wait here. I must first hear his confession." *leaves them there to go into the room - and now Mikage has to have a conversation by herself, and she'll try to make it as short as possible*
Wolfram - *had been in the room for quite a while now, and was beginning to get worried/wondered how Yuuri's confession had gone and becomes concerned, hoping he was okay/looks around the little room for a while, but there isn't much in there besides a desk, a few chairs, and religious texts of some sort/eventually just stands there and sort of zones out/jumps in surprise when the priest comes in/quickly turns to face him, hoping he's able to hide his nervousness well enough*
Priest - *closes the door softly behind him, and immediately moves to one of the chairs, motioning for Wolfram to take a seat as well/he looks over the boy as he does so, marveling a little over his costume* "Before I can marry you and His Majesty, you must first confess all your sins." *continues to say the same thing he'd said to Yuuri about taking his time and collecting his thoughts*
Wolfram - *sits in one of the chairs and nods at the priest/begins to confess to as many of his sins as he can think of and remember - pride, arrogance, jealousy, selfishness, shouting at and not respecting his mother, or his brothers for that matter, ignoring his responsibilities and brining harm upon those he loves/once he's done, he stares nervously at the ground, unable to look the priest in the eye*
Priest - *sits patiently and listens/raises his eyebrow again once he's done* "Is there anything else?"
Wolfram - *shakes his head, swallowing heavily*
Priest - *sighs, still thinking of what His Majesty had confessed to, staring at Wolfram carefully/eventually rises from his chair* "I've called upon our resident healer and his apprentice. If you would please remove your clothing-" *again stares at his costume* "-I will have them come in and check on your health and search for any impurities."
Wolfram - *nods, and stands to do as was requested of him, hands shaking just the slightest bit*
Priest - *moves to leave the room for a little bit and allow him some privacy/closes the door behind him again and eyes both the healer and apprentice seriously* "You must swear an oath of silence for what you are about to see. This entire exchange will remain confidential."
Madeline - *stares at the priest in a bit of confusion, but quickly stands up a bit straighter, nervously brushing at her robes again, and nods* "I swear."
Marius - *narrows his eyes at the priest, wondering what could possibly be so important as to require an oath of silence/eventually nods his head* "You have my word."
Priest - *nods at them both before opening to door again, leading them into the room and quietly shutting it behind them*
Wolfram - *has removed every bit of his costume/stands in the middle of the room uncomfortably, though still in his underwear/still extremely, extremely nervous/feels slightly ill, nearly afraid of what was about to happen*
Madeline - *carefully and shyly follows them into the room, a little shocked at how pretty the boy already in the room was/glances curiously up between the priest and her 'master'*
Marius - *stares at the boy for a long moment, looking him over/then turns to the priest for instructions*
Priest - *speaks to Wolfram* "Lord von Bielefeld, this is our healer, Lord Marius, and his apprentice, Madeline."
Wolfram - *nods/merely wants to get this over with as fast as possible*
Madeline - *eyes widen a bit in surprise/glances over her shoulder at the closed door, wondering if His Majesty was really in their church/looks to Marius again*
Marius - *has no noticeable reaction to his identity, but is inwardly a bit surprised/turns to Madeline* "You will inspect him first. Be thorough. Remember that he is marrying a king."
Madeline - *nearly has a heart attack in her nervousness/nods to him before stepping a bit closer to the blond/smiles reassuringly at him, holding her hands out in front of him* "This will only take a moment..."
Wolfram - *nods quickly, refusing to look at her/stares straight ahead and waits, trying to stop his shaking*
Madeline - *closes her eyes to inspect his body with her majutsu/almost instantly overwhelmed with a really strong pull/has to open her eyes, blinking curiously at him for a moment before regaining her composure and closing her eyes again* "His health seems to be okay... Just suffering from a bit of fatigue and dehydration... Physically... his most recent injuries seem to be on his cheek and his foot, but neither are of any danger to him..." *trails off, not sure what else she should say/knowing full well the requirements needed to marry a king*
Wolfram - *continues to stand there nervously, waiting for her to say more... if there even is more to be said*
Marius - *looks to Madeline with narrowed eyes/moves to her side, taking her hand and forcing it against Wolfram's stomach* "What do you feel, Madeline?"
Madeline - *eyes open wide in surprise as his hand is forced against his stomach/stares nervously from Wolfram to Marius before closing her eyes again/a sharp shock seems to hit her hand because she instantly tries to pull back, but is only able to open her eyes to stop it* "I...."
Marius - *serious* "You still have much to learn. The life force it strong. I could feel it the moment I entered the room."
Wolfram - *starts breathing a bit irregularly*
Madeline - *mouths wordlessly at him, blushing deeply that she hadn't been able to feel it like he had*
Marius - *immediately pulls her hand away and releases it, stepping back* "That is enough. There is nothing more we can do."
Madeline - *gapes at him* "But... the marriage..."
Priest - *answers for the healer* "Is no longer a possibility." *thinks again about His Majesty's confession/glances at Wolfram, and speaks to him as he had to Yuuri, soothingly* "How long have you been sleeping with His Majesty, Lord von Bielefeld?"
Wolfram - *opens his mouth to answer him, but nothing comes out/tries to regain control over his suddenly erratic breathing* "I..." *shakes his head* "We've shared a bed since he first proposed."
Priest - *sighs lightly* "How long have you been sleeping with him, Your Excellency?"
Wolfram - *swallows heavily* "F-five days..."
Madeline - *watches him, her empathy getting the better of her/quickly wraps her arms around the slightly taller blond, trying to comfort him*
Priest - *watches the girl/shakes his head slowly at her show of compassion* "When was the first time, Your Excellency?"
Wolfram - *feels as if he's about to cry* "Five days ago..."
Priest - *stares at him seriously, still plagued by suspicions over the king's confession* "Were you raped?"
Wolfram - *looks up at him in shocked/doesn't know what to say/had Yuuri confessed?/no, Yuuri wouldn't do that after he'd told him not to/then, did the priest ask that of every person who came in here in his condition?/quickly shakes his head*
Marius - *sighs heavily* "The child was conceived four days ago, not five."
Madeline - "Stop it! You're upsetting him!" *feeling her own tears start to well up in her eyes/holding tightly onto Wolfram, trying to keep him as calm as possible*
Wolfram - *is shaking more noticeably now, hardly able to control himself*
Priest - *looks from Madeline to Wolfram, then shakes his head sadly* "Please, put your clothes back on, Your Excellency." *looks down at the pieces of the costume* "But do not put on the padding. It is most likely heavy, and could endanger the child." *motions to both Marius and Madeline* "Come. Give him some privacy."
Madeline - *doesn't want to move away from him/shakes her head, refusing to move*
Marius - *grabs onto one of her arms, though not too roughly, trying to pry her away from him* "Come, Madeline. You've done all you can. You must return to your studies."
Madeline - *tries holding on to him tighter, struggling against the older man* "He is pure! You can't just tell him ‘no!’ His intentions and his heart are pure!! You... you can't!"
Marius - *a little harsher than he'd intended* "Madeline!" *takes a breath and calms himself* "There is nothing left to do. You know the law as well as I."
Madeline - *shakes her head again, though cringing a bit in fear/still refuses to let him go, and feeling her tears start to escape* "What if... what if we just overlooked it this once?? Mistakes happen all the time! No one will have to know!"
Priest - *shakes his head* "Madeline, please, back away, or we will have to forcibly remove you. Marius is right, there is nothing we can do. Even if I do feel some compassion for the boy, I can not go against my conscience."
Madeline - *shakes her head again, still clinging/nearing hysterics* "God is compassionate and merciful! Love is more important than anything else! Are you telling me that the law comes before God?!"
Priest - "God is indeed passionate and merciful, but He has His own laws, ones that we must abide by. If His Excellency is, indeed, pure of heart, then He will not forsake him."
Madeline - *continues to shake her head/crying, but trying not to get her tears all over the poor blond* "No! I won't let you tell him no! I know the laws! But the baby has only just been conceived! Why is it not possible to just overlook it this once?? The child needs both parents!"
Priest - *continues to stare at her, falling silent/knows that he will be unable to convince her*
Wolfram - *still shaking and breathing heavily, staring off into space/can barely hear them, lost in his own little world/whispers* "Please, leave me alone. I want to be alone..."
Madeline - *suddenly stops, looking up at him, tears still running down her cheeks/finally pulls away at his request, and bolts for the door, pulling it open only enough to slip through, running back to the office to continue crying in peace*
Marius - *sighs and follows her/shakes his head/the girl is too empathetic and compassionate for her own good/it would surely get her in trouble one day*
Priest - *leaves the room as well, but not without one final glance at the poor boy/softly shuts the door behind him, allowing him to get dressed in peace and have a moment to himself/scans the pews, finding His Majesty sitting with another boy/walks down the isle towards them/keeps his voice kind - he knows how hard this must be for the both of them* "Your Majesty..."
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New Characters
Priest - Mikage
Madeline - Guine
Lord Marius - Mikage