Disclaimer: Kyou Kara Maou and Plot Bunny are borrowed and not mine (Disclaimer in the Prelude)

Warning: mpreg

Rating: PG13

A/N: Again thank you all for the reviews and the watches. I had to reuse a bit of the original plot again, I hope you can forgive me. But I hope it is not too strange how I changed and finished it. I have my reason for it, you will see in a later chapter. I liked writing this chapter and I hope you like it too!

Midsummer Lullaby

Chapter 2

It was in the middle of the night when not surprisingly Wolfram awoke to the sound of crying beside his bed. He got up half asleep to cross the few steps distance to the crib. If Rudolf was still asleep he would just hum a bit and wait for the little one to settle down sleeping calmly again. It worked better than ripping the baby out of a bad dream as it would just make him cry even more and the night worse than enduring the moments of dreaming and be a fully rested child in the morning, laughing brightly and obviously having forgotten about the dream he had. But when he noticed the baby was awake he took him out of the crib. It didn't make the crying stop and Wolfram knew why. He rocked him against his shoulder.

"Did you have a nightmare, my little one?", he whispered. "Don't be afraid, I'm here"

It didn't reassure Rudolf at all. A baby this young was quite sensitive. He didn't like it to be left behind earlier that day either and was in a bad mood since then. Or had it been Wolfram's heated mood, when he picked him up that had made him have a fit earlier they didn't know.

He walked through the room to the window to look outside while humming the lullaby that always worked. Even if it took some time. In the end he always calmed down.
There was movement down in the gardens. Only when his eyes got used to the darkness Wolfram recognised the shadows standing apart some meters throwing something at each other. A ball. This strange game Conrad always played with the children of the human village close to the borders. He had tried to make Wolfram play this game many times but always got a harsh removal. Same brother played it with the newly arrived king-yet-to-be-proven now. Yuri was his name, wasn't it? His drowsy mind and the baby in his arms did not allow more than watching the scene. They were talking and Wolfram wondered what the conversation was about.

Rudolf stopped his crying and settled on a whining tune after some minutes. Soon he would be asleep again. which Wolfram welcomed much so he would not have to face his fight tired. He wondered why his opponent was still up and played around. If he took the challenge seriously he would be asleep by now instead of throwing a stupid ball around. Like that he just showed how irresponsible he was. And how easy he took the matter. Did he take it serious at all? How not surprisingly if not. Just what wanted his mother of him to see in this black haired boy? Without the amount of anger he had felt before their first meeting and after dinner, just because he was too tired to get upset and the baby took every bad mood of him as a reason to feel uncomfortable and cry in protest, the words of his mother tried to seep through his brain.

Even from far distance Wolfram could see the bright smile that plastered the young face. Wolfram could not take away his eyes off him. But then it felt familiar enough to tug painfully at his heart.
He had the same. The same smile that had already caught him once, courted him, embraced him in the dark hours, had promised to never leave him during passionate nights.

Rudolf had been the result of those nights and was the only thing left behind when the made promises dissolved themselves without a word. Lynn hadn't said a word, just held his blond love mate tight to himself when Wolfram's symptoms got a name. Wolfram often thought how he should have seen the signs that Lynn was not comfortable with becoming a father. Everytime the topic was brought up he tensed enough for Wolfram to see if not for others. Yet he never told him he didn't want it or that he would not take responsibility or that Wolfram should get rid of it, even encouraged Wolfram to decide that he wanted. So Wolfram wanted to assume he needed time to adjust as he needed himself. It had been a surprise for them both after all. So they didn't talk much about it at first. And then, two weeks later, Wolfram woke up alone and had to realise that part of his lover's clothes were gone too...

On the table had been a short notice.

Nobody had seen him leave, nobody knew where he disappeared to, if he had been forced by anybody to go or left on his own. Shocked, with the crumpled paper in his fist, Wolfram had ran to the stables, shouting the brown haired's name on top of his lungs, not caring that he was barefoot and only wearing a light nightgown, just to notice, that the white stallion beside his own was gone too.
A stable boy found him crying on the floor, cramping too and called for help immediately. Wolfram nearly lost the little one due to the stress and had been ordered to bed for two weeks.

It was during this time that Wolfram talked a lot with Gisela and they became even closer than they already were. Also he had decided to do everything in his power to protect the little demon inside him. The note Lynn had left behind always laid on his bedside table and every time he read it, Wolfram couldn't help but cry and start to ponder about the why. Why then? Why without a word? Why had he not talked to him? Where did he go? All agents around the country were informed about the missing young noble but the search had been discontinued weeks after. He obviously didn't want to be found and there was no evidence for a crime to justify the further usage of resources.

The weeks went on and Wolfram glowed in the light of the change in his body. The life growing inside him started to move one evening, when its bearer again stared at the notice in his hand and asked himself the same unanswered questions again and again, gently rubbing the growing bump. All thoughts stopped in the same second when he was aware of this new feeling. A movement underneath his hand, inside him with nothing he could compare it to.
He stared in wonder where he felt it, tried to feel it again. And he was rewarded with another movement inside. "Hey little one, is that you?", he asked with a face splitting smile towards his belly. He had never talked to the baby before but now that the one growing inside him started to communicate with him, he couldn't help but respond. And then Wolfram understood. From that moment on it was not just something growing inside him but his parental instincts connected to their cause even more. The movement stopped and Wolfram lost himself in happy and gentle thoughts and rubbing. He noticed the paper he had let fallen to the floor when the baby moved and picked it up. Staring at it again he read the words on it.

Sighing he stood up and went to the fireplace. If he wanted to move on, he could not hope for Lynn to come back anymore, or believe those words he had to concentrate on something more important. It had been too long already.

"You didn't, otherwise you wouldn't have left us", he spoke to the message and threw the note into the fire and watched the words burn.

´I love you´

Now he stood here with the baby in his arms already sleeping again and staring down into the dark yard. He often didn't know what to feel towards Lynn for leaving them. He felt angered and betrayed, wanted to scream at him and hit him and sometimes he just missed him and hoped for him to just come back, to embrace him and their son, telling him how it was all a mistake he had done or how he had been on a surprise trip and got lost.

Lost in thoughts he noticed his older brother looking up to his window too late. Paling he saw that also this young human mix looked up at him with a questioning face. Instantly Wolfram hid the baby in his arms and retreated into the blackness of his room. Light panic started to fill him. Did he see Rudolf? No, they hopefully were too far away to identify anything. Or had Conrad told him? He walked backwards until he felt his bed and sat down. No, he would not allow to happen anything to his little one. Not even a king would take him away. He kissed the baby's hair for this repeatened promise.

Carefully he put the sleeping demon back into his crib and watched him for a little longer before going back to sleep himself.

"Conrad, what kind of character is Wolfram?"

The brown haired soldier caught the ball thrown at him with the leathery glove.

"Would he betray me?", Yuri asked, although he was aware he was asking a brother. After all, with someone in the castle he couldn't trust, being a king might be quite impossible.

A head shake. "No, he wouldn't, your Majesty" was the answer. "He might be hot blooded and quite impulsive, but as long it benefits the Demon Tribe he obeys, even if he hates the king."

Yuri caught the ball and threw it back. "But why does he hate me? I didn't do anything, I never even asked to be here..."

Conrad had noticed his brother at the window watching them and so had Yuri, following the other's eyes. Yuri saw Wolfram holding something in his arms but couldn't put it together before Wolfram suddenly disappeared.

The second brother did not know what to answer right away. To say the third brother was just like that was not correct completely. To say it surprised him himself how Wolfram behaved was not true either.
"He doesn't hate you, your Majesty. When you get to know him better you will understand."

Yuri couldn't really believe that but decided to trust the word and simply nodded.
"So hopefully he is not going to kill me either?" he asked with a nervous laugh. To hope was the correct wording.

"I will interfere if necessary", Conrad replied and Yuri gulped.

"He would?"

"No one is going to hurt you, your Majesty. Also it is in your power to decide the weapon"
Oh, yes that was true. But what would he decide for? He looked at the sword that lent against the wall. He despised violence, which after all brought him into this misery that still felt like a dream he had to wake up from.

"I am sure you will decide wisely," Conrad interrupted his thoughts with a smile as if reading them.

"Yeah, I guess...I mean, what can he do anyway? He is surely good with a sword but he is not much older than I am if not younger," he grinned. "How much experience can he have?"
Conrad cleared his throat. "You Majesty, you should not judge too fast by the way he looks. He is a demon and demons age five times slower than humans, you see"

"What?", Yuri stumbled backwards. "So he is...he is..."

"Eighty-two, your Majesty"

Yuri sat down in surprise. "Eighty-two? He is an old man! How can he look so incredibly cute with this age?"
Conrad snickered. "He is not old for a demon, Your Majesty", he explained. "If he would be human, he would have the way of thinking like a teenager, you could say"

"But if he is eighty two and looks like a sixteen year old, he has at least fifty-four years of experience in fighting...He will kill me..." His head between his hands he already imagined to be sliced into pieces by the blond boy.

Conrad sighed and approached his king, giving him a hand to stand up. "I promised, no one is going to hurt you", he gently smiled and was rewarded with a smile by the young human after some seconds.
"I will count on you, Conrad", he grinned, still uneasy and then stretched. "I think I should go to sleep now. Maybe I get an idea after a good rest."
Conrad just nodded, picked up the sword and accompanied the young king to his room.

Yuri laid awake for some time longer after changing into a comfortable pyjama and relaxing into the soft mattress in this large dream of a bed. If this was also part of him being a king he could continue this dream for a little longer maybe.
He could not fight sleep for long, just hoped that Conrad would keep his word of saving him before the blond demon lost his mind and killed him in front of everyone. What could he do to put the fighting experience of the blond and his own missing experience in this field to a draw level? He had to persuade Wolfram to talk about this whole engagement-thing. If he wanted to they could just forget about it and let it go. And start from anew. That would be the best solution. There was no need to fight about it at all. It was ridiculous anyway. How could two people get engaged by slapping each other?
Yuri snorted and drifted away to sleep, following his thoughts to next day's events.

They stood apart from each other, twenty feet between them.

Sun was shining, just a few clouds past the blue sky over Blood Pledge Castle. They confronted each other in the open areaway to the gardens.

Wolfram wore a blue uniform and had his sword on his left hip. His face showed of determination and anticipation of the king's chosen weapon to fight with.
Yuri gulped but stood confidentely himself in his black uniform.. There was tension in the air. On the side the rest of the family and Gunther stood and watched tensly. Only Cecilie, the only one sitting on a confortable stool of red velvet smiled brightly and wished them both good luck.
Yuri smiled back nervously but then put his attention on the blond fully.

"Didn't you forget your sword?", Wolfram smirked. "So tell me, what rules did you choose?", he demanded to know.

To everyone's surprise Yuri, instead of answering, started to unbutton his black jacket. It was the only thing he could think of to make it honourable, yet disarm the blond.
"We will have a Sumo Duell", he explained and could see the colour disappear from Wolfram's face.

"Why the hell do you take your clothes off?"

"You take off your clothes too, this is a duell without weapons", he was told.

"What kind of duell is without weapons? This is absurd!" Wolfram would not blame himself like this in front of everyone.

"You told me to choose. I did. And know undress", Yuri persisted, already without his white shirt, which he just threw aside, now with a naked upper body, which was delightfully commented by Cecilie.

"I am absolutely NOT going to undress like this in public!", Wolfram refused furiously.

Yuri sighed. This blond demon was hard to understand.

"Well, okay then, you can keep your clothes on.", He scratched his head. If he must.

With a branch he picked up from the ground Yuri then drew a large circle into the dust on the ground and two lines in the middle opposite from each other.

"We face each other in the middle. The duell starts, when the spirit is released", While he explained the rules, he got into position and was mirrored by a very suspicious Wolfram. "The first one that steps out of the circle or falls to the ground, looses."

Gunther on the side cheered and gloryfied the honorable fight without bloodshed. Conrad smiled happily and Gwendal grunted as if sharing the youngest brother's thoughts.

The seconds elapsed endlessly while the duelists stared into each other's eyes, green fire against dark-grey sea. They lost themselves in each other, forgot everything else around them...

And then it was over. In the matter of a mere second, when suddenly Yuri grabbed Wolfram by the hips and pushed him hard outside of the ring. Bewildered the blond sat there with a hurting back, not understanding what just happened before the lavender haired instructor started to applaud and congratulated his king to this wonderful and honourable win.

What? This wimp had won? What was that for a fight? Now Conrad congratulated him too and Yuri just grinned shamelessly. This was not going to happen. He would not surrender like this.
As fast as he could he got back on his feet an drew his sword.

"Wolfram!", Gwendal called his brother to reason, who didn't think of listening at all.

"Oh no, this is not over, you...you...", he couldn't even find a proper words for this insulting intruder. And then he already let out a battlecry and ran towards the black haired to show him what it meant to fight for honour..

"Your Majesty!", Yuri heard Conrad's voice from aside and reacted fast enough to catch the sword he had at least tried to train with the day before. Conrad had brought it with him to the duell? He caught it just in time to dodge the powerful swing of Wolfram's sword with it.

"You will fight like a king and win like a king, if you are the true one!", Wolfram bellowed and continued to strike his opponent so fast, Yuri could do nothing than dodge as good as possible and retreat. He had no idea what to do and his strenght abandoned him so with an especially hard strike he lost the grip on his sword he didn't even had the chance to draw properly and was pushed from his feet to the ground.

His backside hurt and the metalic clangor of a sword on the stone floor could be heard.

"Your Majesty!", Conrad shout and Yuri already noticed the approach of his friend. His eyes were firmly closed and he hid behind protetcitive arms against another hit of his opponent.
He dared to look up just a bit. Conrad knelt down beside him. "Are you hurt?", he asked worried. Yuri shook his head. "I don't think so..:"
Then he looked up completely and caught sight of the blond soldier who was looking down at him with a glaring red face and bristle with anger. His sword was still drawn, yet he appearantly was not up to another attack.
Well, after all, he had won, hadn't he? His green eyes burned with a fire that made Yuri gulp nervously.

Before he could say anything Gwendal called his youngest brother again in a harsh commanding tone and was punished with a fierce glare.
Niftily the blond finally put his sword into its scabbard.

Wolfram waited until Conrad had helped the younger back to his feet to pat off the dust on his clothes. ´What would happen now?´, Yuri asked himself and watched the other with expectant and unsure eyes. Now everything was solved, wasn't it? It was in Yuri's opinion at least, but seemingly Wolfram was not happy with his victory.

"I won't accept that!", he then confirmed the suspicion and as it seemed, he himself was the only one surprised by this exclamation. A look to the rest of the group made him sure of that. What did he mean?

"What..?"

"You did not prove anything!", Wolfram interupted him. "I won't accept this and demand revenge! You wimpy excuse of a king should better prepare for a fight worth your status and the Demon Tribe! A fight without fighting? A win without proper weapons? How should you ever represent the powerful tribe with such a weak opposition? I could kill you in a mere second, if I was after your life!"

"Wolfram!", Gwendal bellowed to stop the demon from disrespecting the king any further. Their mother looked kind of sad at what her son so openly said. And Yuri stood there astonished with angered brows for the accusations thrown at him. Why did he put him down any further? Was the win not enough for him? How could he expect Yuri to fight like an expert when he never in his life had a sword in his hands before last night.
Again Wolfram just walked away back into the castle. Yuri felt even more angered by the blond's behaviour. How did he allow himself to behave like that? He had done nothing wrong! He had not hurt him and had no intention of hurting or abuse anyone. As if he was the type to do this. He had been often called names like Shibuya Yuuri, Harajuku Fuuri, but never had he been bad-mouthed like this. Just like the other day when Wolfram had bad-mouthed his mother which just started all of this.

A hand on his shoulder distracted his mind away from the door where Wolfram had disappeared to. He smiled slightly up at Conrad. "What did I do wrong now, Conrad?, he asked.

"Your Majesty, don't worry about him. He will calm down."

"I didn't want to upset him at all. He even won. Why is he so angry this time? If he is always like that..."

With a small `Oh` Conrad understood Yuri's point. He shook his head.

"He did not win", he explained.

"You did."

tbc...