[Fic] [Round 16] Title: Not Alone, Rating: G
Author: Isha
Title: Not Alone
Pairings: Gwendal/Anissina
Word Count: 2,705
Rating: G
Any Warnings: Spoilers for the events of Episode 27 and after
Prompt being used: Freestyle
Timeline: Set during season one, the Conrart arc.
Summary: ‘I’m here now,’ Anissina said softly, and Gwendal looked up to see her move around his desk to stand beside him. ‘I’m with you now, you’re not alone.’
Disclaimer: I own none of these very entertaining characters, please don’t sue me. Thank you.
Part of my Gwendal/Anissina series. Follows from ‘Evasive Manoeuvres’.
~
She walked down the street with quick, brisk steps, she had an image to maintain, after all. People stared after her as she went: the Mazoku noblewoman with an agenda, bent on uplifting the status of women in the Western Business District.
Anissina could feel the wary gazes that followed her wherever she went, the hostility and fear she had inspired when she had first arrived had slowly given way to a cautious respect. It was good to know that she was making a difference, that there were some women who had benefited by her presence here. Of course, it had not been easy, it had taken her a long time to even make the women realise that there was a problem in the way they were treated, but she had persisted, and finally had been able to make some of them see that they were to demand equality.
As she walked down the lane to her lodgings, she felt a vague regret. She would have to go soon, but she was reluctant to leave the place of her first tentative success. Well, she had done all she could, it was time for her to move on, she thought firmly as she entered the inn where she had taken lodgings. The innkeeper was busy with the many guests that usually thronged his tavern of a night, but he looked up when she entered.
‘My lady,’ he called, as she made to climb up the stairs to her room, and she turned to raise an eyebrow at him. ‘A message came for you by carrier pigeon,’ he said, bending to pluck a small tube from under his counter. She nodded her thanks as he handed it to her, turning away again to make her way to her room. She had received her usual packet of mail from Shin Makoku only last week, telling her news of the kingdom and the inhabitants of Covenant Castle, so who could be writing to her now?
Of course, things had been growing worrying lately, if the information she received was anything to go by, all this talk about the Forbidden Boxes…
She pulled the piece of paper out of the tube as she absentmindedly unlocked her door, eyes widening as she glanced at it.
The seal on the envelope threw her a little, it was the von Voltaire coat of arms.
Gwendal.
She frowned as she entered her room and sat down at down at the desk, staring down at the letter.
He had not written to her once in the time she had left Shin Makoku-nearly three months ago now. Well, they had quarrelled over her decision to leave, so she had not really expected him to write-neither had she, of course-which was why it was such a surprise to suddenly have a message from him.
She had been adamant, she remembered, that she would go. She had long heard rumours about the way women were treated in this place, the district’s unsavoury reputation had spread far and wide. And little Greta’s stories about her home city had only spurred her on.
‘But why do you have to go?’ Gwendal had said to her when she’d told him of her decision.
They had met for another rendezvous, stealing away from the castle and their daily routine to go for another ride, and they had been sitting under what they had both come to think of as ‘their’ tree, when he had turned to her with a scowl.
‘If we all ignore the problem, it will never get solved,’ she had blazed back at him, angry that he stubbornly refused to see the point. ‘I have to start somewhere; I will wait no longer for men to learn to treat women in the right way!’
‘Do you really think they will listen to you?’ Gwendal had scoffed. ‘A Mazoku noblewoman? The humans are too scared of us, you will never be able to do anything for the women there.’ He had stopped then, and had fixed her with a hard look. ‘Besides, you know what Gegenhuber has told us, the humans are preparing to strike. It is not safe.’
‘You think I can’t take care of myself?’ she had snapped, blood boiling at his calm dismissal of her abilities. ‘That I can’t do what I’ve set my mind to?’
‘I do not doubt your abilities,’ he had replied, glaring back at her, almost as if he had read her mind. ‘But I doubt the humans’ willingness, their ability to accept anything-even wisdom-from Mazoku. It is a fool’s errand, and you will regret it!’
‘We shall see about that,’ she had cried, and his lips had thinned as he had shaken his head angrily, but he had not replied as she had sprung up from her seat to storm away to her horse and back to the castle.
He had not followed her then, and he had not come to see her off as she had left on her voyage.
She had been furious all these days, to think that just when things had been going so well, he had behaved like an arrogant, pompous ass, instead of being supportive and encouraging, like he should have-
And now, finally, he had written to her.
He had probably realised at last that he was wrong, and it had taken him this long to work up the nerve to apologise. She huffed a little as she picked up the letter and looked at the seal again.
With quick, impatient movements, she broke it open and pulled out the piece of paper inside. It was a short missive, only five words:
Anissina,
Come home at once.
Please.
Gwendal
She frowned down at the letter. It was no apology, evidently she had been mistaken. It would have sparked her anger again, but the letter itself was…odd. The words seemed strange on the paper, almost as if Gwendal’s hand had been shaking as he’d written them.
And then there was the word ‘please’…Gwendal was not accustomed to asking, he was a man used to command…
Anissina nodded, then pushed the piece of paper back into its envelope. Whatever else had happened between them, he would not have asked her to return unless it were important, she was sure of it.
She had to go.
~
Already he regretted sending that damned message to her.
It had been a thing of impulse, the letter had been written and sent before second thoughts had prevailed, and now as he looked out of the window into the night-he could almost make out through the gloom the flags that flew at half mast from the ramparts below him-he wondered if she would come.
He had given her no reason, had told her of no emergency, he had only asked that she return at once, abandoning her plan-already three months into its launch-and come home only because he had demanded it of her.
There was no doubt. Of course she wouldn’t come.
It had only been a momentary longing for her touch, for her arms around him, a brief respite from the terrible, dull pain that came from watching his mother cry and Wolfram scream and throw things out of windows in his rage, because Conrart was gone, gone forever-
He choked off the thought, turning away from the window to seat himself behind his desk again. There was still work to be done, after all, Gunter was struck down by the von Wincott poison and everything had fallen to him now. They had made Gunter as comfortable as they could in his rooms, but no one had any way of knowing how long he would be in a coma. Which was another reason why Anissina needed to return, she was sure to have some invention that could help…
All of the Mazoku living on or near human territory had to warned, after such a daring attack on their Maou it was unsafe for them to continue as they were-he would have to ask Densham to send Anissina a letter telling her about it, perhaps then she would return-then there were funeral arrangements to be made-his mother was in no condition for it-and of course the pressing matter of what was to be done with the Key.
Lady Ulrike had told them only last night, after she had looked up the history of the Weller family in the Temple records, and even now it was difficult to imagine. That they had had a Key with them, among them, all this time, and they had never known…
Above all, though, he hated the small part of himself that wondered, even at such a time, if it would have been easier to locate the Boxes if they could have used the Key in some manner.
It was easier to think of it as the Key, easier not to think of the fact that the only thing they had left of Conrart was the arm; his body had been lost in the fire and there would be nothing for his family to grieve over.
The Lion of Lutenberg, laid down at last. Yozak had not taken the news well.
He was off in the human lands somewhere now; after a careful inspection of the damage caused by the fire they had been able to work out that it had not been caused by maryokou, which had of course left only one possible option.
There was a timid knock on his door, and he looked up to see Greta enter. She stood there at the door for a moment, her lip trembling, before a sob burst from her and she ran to him. He lifted her up into his lap, and she looked up at him with brimming eyes.
‘Gwendal, Wolfram’s crying in his sleep again.’
He passed a hand over her head, and she leaned her face into his shirt, snuggling closer to him. He had told his brother not to be like him, it was true, and it was a good thing that he felt capable of letting out his emotions, and yet…
He looked up again when the door was pushed open without even a knock, but his initial alarm faded when he saw Anissina in the doorway.
‘You came,’ he said blankly, and she strode to him, her eyes worried and anxious.
‘Anissina?’ Greta cried, stirring in his arms. ‘I’m so glad you’ve returned!’
‘Hello, Greta,’ she replied, absentmindedly laying a hand on the child’s head before turning to him. ‘Gwendal, what’s going on?’ she asked anxiously. 'I’ve been hearing all sorts of rumours on the way back, about an attack on the Maou-and why are the flags at half-mast? What has been happening?’
‘Yuuri was attacked and then he went back to his world,’ Greta piped up before he could reply, sitting up in his arms and looking up at her. ‘And Conrart-Conrart is dead!’
Anissina staggered back at the news, even as Greta began crying again. She looked at him in shock, and he nodded. Her lips thinned as she pulled herself together, and she moved forward to take the crying child out of his arms. ‘Come with me, Greta,’ she said softly, tucking the girl into her body. She turned away from him and moved out of the door, still talking quietly to the child.
Gwendal got up after that to go and stand at the window again, unable to sit still any longer. He had not really expected her to come, but Anissina’s sudden arrival meant that he wasn’t alone in this, and that was a wonderful feeling. There was so much to be done, and now that there was someone to help, perhaps it wouldn’t be so difficult to get through it all.
He turned to his desk again, going through the many sheets of paper that lay scattered about, sorting through them to put them in the order they were to be tackled in, and it was then that Anissina returned.
‘I put Greta to bed again,’ she said softly as she entered and stood awkwardly on the other side of his desk. ‘I woke up Gisela and asked her to give both Wolfram and Greta something to help them sleep.’
He nodded, still reading the words before him. ‘That’s a good idea, thank you.’
‘Gwendal…’
He looked up when she stilled his hand. Her eyes were dark and haunted. ‘Gwendal, how…’ She trailed off, but he understood.
‘He was a Key to one of the Forbidden Boxes,’ he said, and she gasped. ‘None of us knew, but one of the human countries found out somehow. We thought it was an attack on the Maou at first, because he had been called into our world by someone else, but now we think they may have been after the Key all along.’
‘But how could they have known?’ Anissina shook her head, her face white and shocked. ‘How could anyone have known more about Conrart than his own family?’
‘Mother suspects that it was Big Simaron,’ he replied, resting both hands on his desk and letting his head hang forward wearily. ‘Dan Hiri Weller was originally from that country, if you recall.’
‘And what happened to Gunter? Greta was mumbling something about him, but she wasn’t very clear.’
‘He was struck by an arrow tipped with the von Wincott poison, and he put himself into a coma to escape its effects. Gisela doesn’t know when he will wake up, or even if he ever will-’
He raised a hand to pass it over his forehead, and he felt her touch the other one on the desk.
‘I’m here now,’ she said softly, and he looked up to see her move around his desk to stand beside him. ‘I’m with you now, you’re not alone.’
He gripped her hand tightly, unable to speak for the thickness of his throat. She tugged him away from his desk by their joined hands, and he followed her, frowning as she made to draw him out of the room.
‘All that work that we need to do will still be there in the morning,’ she said chidingly, stopping only to let him lock the door, before leading him down the corridors to his bedchambers. ‘It’ll do no good if you fall down from exhaustion.’
He said nothing because it was easier not to argue, even if he privately felt that there was no time for a rest. Soon they were in front of his doors, and she stood waiting as he fumbled for his key and unlocked them. She didn’t hesitate as she pulled him into the room, locking the doors behind him again.
It was strange to see her standing there in his bedchambers, he had often imagined her here, but never in such circumstances. She looked around curiously for a moment before going to his bed and moving the pile of half finished knitting to his desk. He stared at her when she looked at him expectantly, but when she beckoned him silently, he moved to her.
She tugged him down to the bed with her, and his first thought was: it shouldn’t be like this, before he realised that there was nothing sexual in her actions. She turned on her side, pulling his arm over her waist, tucking their still joined hands under her chin.
‘I can’t believe Conrart’s really gone,’ she said after a moment, and he stiffened.
‘Anissina,’ he said warningly, ‘Don’t.’
‘I can still remember him from when he was just a kid,’ she went on, her voice thickening with tears. ‘He really was a squally little brat, wasn’t he?’
‘Anissina,’ he said again, then stopped, because there was a lump in his throat, his eyes were stinging and his chest was hurting-
‘It’s alright, Gwendal,’ she said, turning suddenly to take him in her arms as the first few tears squeezed themselves out from under his tightly shut eyelids. ‘It’s alright, I’m here. I’m here.’
He cried then, and her own tears wet his hair as she clutched him tightly and they both let out their grief.
~
A/N: So apparently I like torturing characters when I am unwell. *shrugs*
Anyway, thanks for reading, all comment and concrit is very welcome. =)
Sequel 'So This is Love' is here.
Title: Not Alone
Pairings: Gwendal/Anissina
Word Count: 2,705
Rating: G
Any Warnings: Spoilers for the events of Episode 27 and after
Prompt being used: Freestyle
Timeline: Set during season one, the Conrart arc.
Summary: ‘I’m here now,’ Anissina said softly, and Gwendal looked up to see her move around his desk to stand beside him. ‘I’m with you now, you’re not alone.’
Disclaimer: I own none of these very entertaining characters, please don’t sue me. Thank you.
Part of my Gwendal/Anissina series. Follows from ‘Evasive Manoeuvres’.
~
She walked down the street with quick, brisk steps, she had an image to maintain, after all. People stared after her as she went: the Mazoku noblewoman with an agenda, bent on uplifting the status of women in the Western Business District.
Anissina could feel the wary gazes that followed her wherever she went, the hostility and fear she had inspired when she had first arrived had slowly given way to a cautious respect. It was good to know that she was making a difference, that there were some women who had benefited by her presence here. Of course, it had not been easy, it had taken her a long time to even make the women realise that there was a problem in the way they were treated, but she had persisted, and finally had been able to make some of them see that they were to demand equality.
As she walked down the lane to her lodgings, she felt a vague regret. She would have to go soon, but she was reluctant to leave the place of her first tentative success. Well, she had done all she could, it was time for her to move on, she thought firmly as she entered the inn where she had taken lodgings. The innkeeper was busy with the many guests that usually thronged his tavern of a night, but he looked up when she entered.
‘My lady,’ he called, as she made to climb up the stairs to her room, and she turned to raise an eyebrow at him. ‘A message came for you by carrier pigeon,’ he said, bending to pluck a small tube from under his counter. She nodded her thanks as he handed it to her, turning away again to make her way to her room. She had received her usual packet of mail from Shin Makoku only last week, telling her news of the kingdom and the inhabitants of Covenant Castle, so who could be writing to her now?
Of course, things had been growing worrying lately, if the information she received was anything to go by, all this talk about the Forbidden Boxes…
She pulled the piece of paper out of the tube as she absentmindedly unlocked her door, eyes widening as she glanced at it.
The seal on the envelope threw her a little, it was the von Voltaire coat of arms.
Gwendal.
She frowned as she entered her room and sat down at down at the desk, staring down at the letter.
He had not written to her once in the time she had left Shin Makoku-nearly three months ago now. Well, they had quarrelled over her decision to leave, so she had not really expected him to write-neither had she, of course-which was why it was such a surprise to suddenly have a message from him.
She had been adamant, she remembered, that she would go. She had long heard rumours about the way women were treated in this place, the district’s unsavoury reputation had spread far and wide. And little Greta’s stories about her home city had only spurred her on.
‘But why do you have to go?’ Gwendal had said to her when she’d told him of her decision.
They had met for another rendezvous, stealing away from the castle and their daily routine to go for another ride, and they had been sitting under what they had both come to think of as ‘their’ tree, when he had turned to her with a scowl.
‘If we all ignore the problem, it will never get solved,’ she had blazed back at him, angry that he stubbornly refused to see the point. ‘I have to start somewhere; I will wait no longer for men to learn to treat women in the right way!’
‘Do you really think they will listen to you?’ Gwendal had scoffed. ‘A Mazoku noblewoman? The humans are too scared of us, you will never be able to do anything for the women there.’ He had stopped then, and had fixed her with a hard look. ‘Besides, you know what Gegenhuber has told us, the humans are preparing to strike. It is not safe.’
‘You think I can’t take care of myself?’ she had snapped, blood boiling at his calm dismissal of her abilities. ‘That I can’t do what I’ve set my mind to?’
‘I do not doubt your abilities,’ he had replied, glaring back at her, almost as if he had read her mind. ‘But I doubt the humans’ willingness, their ability to accept anything-even wisdom-from Mazoku. It is a fool’s errand, and you will regret it!’
‘We shall see about that,’ she had cried, and his lips had thinned as he had shaken his head angrily, but he had not replied as she had sprung up from her seat to storm away to her horse and back to the castle.
He had not followed her then, and he had not come to see her off as she had left on her voyage.
She had been furious all these days, to think that just when things had been going so well, he had behaved like an arrogant, pompous ass, instead of being supportive and encouraging, like he should have-
And now, finally, he had written to her.
He had probably realised at last that he was wrong, and it had taken him this long to work up the nerve to apologise. She huffed a little as she picked up the letter and looked at the seal again.
With quick, impatient movements, she broke it open and pulled out the piece of paper inside. It was a short missive, only five words:
Anissina,
Come home at once.
Please.
Gwendal
She frowned down at the letter. It was no apology, evidently she had been mistaken. It would have sparked her anger again, but the letter itself was…odd. The words seemed strange on the paper, almost as if Gwendal’s hand had been shaking as he’d written them.
And then there was the word ‘please’…Gwendal was not accustomed to asking, he was a man used to command…
Anissina nodded, then pushed the piece of paper back into its envelope. Whatever else had happened between them, he would not have asked her to return unless it were important, she was sure of it.
She had to go.
~
Already he regretted sending that damned message to her.
It had been a thing of impulse, the letter had been written and sent before second thoughts had prevailed, and now as he looked out of the window into the night-he could almost make out through the gloom the flags that flew at half mast from the ramparts below him-he wondered if she would come.
He had given her no reason, had told her of no emergency, he had only asked that she return at once, abandoning her plan-already three months into its launch-and come home only because he had demanded it of her.
There was no doubt. Of course she wouldn’t come.
It had only been a momentary longing for her touch, for her arms around him, a brief respite from the terrible, dull pain that came from watching his mother cry and Wolfram scream and throw things out of windows in his rage, because Conrart was gone, gone forever-
He choked off the thought, turning away from the window to seat himself behind his desk again. There was still work to be done, after all, Gunter was struck down by the von Wincott poison and everything had fallen to him now. They had made Gunter as comfortable as they could in his rooms, but no one had any way of knowing how long he would be in a coma. Which was another reason why Anissina needed to return, she was sure to have some invention that could help…
All of the Mazoku living on or near human territory had to warned, after such a daring attack on their Maou it was unsafe for them to continue as they were-he would have to ask Densham to send Anissina a letter telling her about it, perhaps then she would return-then there were funeral arrangements to be made-his mother was in no condition for it-and of course the pressing matter of what was to be done with the Key.
Lady Ulrike had told them only last night, after she had looked up the history of the Weller family in the Temple records, and even now it was difficult to imagine. That they had had a Key with them, among them, all this time, and they had never known…
Above all, though, he hated the small part of himself that wondered, even at such a time, if it would have been easier to locate the Boxes if they could have used the Key in some manner.
It was easier to think of it as the Key, easier not to think of the fact that the only thing they had left of Conrart was the arm; his body had been lost in the fire and there would be nothing for his family to grieve over.
The Lion of Lutenberg, laid down at last. Yozak had not taken the news well.
He was off in the human lands somewhere now; after a careful inspection of the damage caused by the fire they had been able to work out that it had not been caused by maryokou, which had of course left only one possible option.
There was a timid knock on his door, and he looked up to see Greta enter. She stood there at the door for a moment, her lip trembling, before a sob burst from her and she ran to him. He lifted her up into his lap, and she looked up at him with brimming eyes.
‘Gwendal, Wolfram’s crying in his sleep again.’
He passed a hand over her head, and she leaned her face into his shirt, snuggling closer to him. He had told his brother not to be like him, it was true, and it was a good thing that he felt capable of letting out his emotions, and yet…
He looked up again when the door was pushed open without even a knock, but his initial alarm faded when he saw Anissina in the doorway.
‘You came,’ he said blankly, and she strode to him, her eyes worried and anxious.
‘Anissina?’ Greta cried, stirring in his arms. ‘I’m so glad you’ve returned!’
‘Hello, Greta,’ she replied, absentmindedly laying a hand on the child’s head before turning to him. ‘Gwendal, what’s going on?’ she asked anxiously. 'I’ve been hearing all sorts of rumours on the way back, about an attack on the Maou-and why are the flags at half-mast? What has been happening?’
‘Yuuri was attacked and then he went back to his world,’ Greta piped up before he could reply, sitting up in his arms and looking up at her. ‘And Conrart-Conrart is dead!’
Anissina staggered back at the news, even as Greta began crying again. She looked at him in shock, and he nodded. Her lips thinned as she pulled herself together, and she moved forward to take the crying child out of his arms. ‘Come with me, Greta,’ she said softly, tucking the girl into her body. She turned away from him and moved out of the door, still talking quietly to the child.
Gwendal got up after that to go and stand at the window again, unable to sit still any longer. He had not really expected her to come, but Anissina’s sudden arrival meant that he wasn’t alone in this, and that was a wonderful feeling. There was so much to be done, and now that there was someone to help, perhaps it wouldn’t be so difficult to get through it all.
He turned to his desk again, going through the many sheets of paper that lay scattered about, sorting through them to put them in the order they were to be tackled in, and it was then that Anissina returned.
‘I put Greta to bed again,’ she said softly as she entered and stood awkwardly on the other side of his desk. ‘I woke up Gisela and asked her to give both Wolfram and Greta something to help them sleep.’
He nodded, still reading the words before him. ‘That’s a good idea, thank you.’
‘Gwendal…’
He looked up when she stilled his hand. Her eyes were dark and haunted. ‘Gwendal, how…’ She trailed off, but he understood.
‘He was a Key to one of the Forbidden Boxes,’ he said, and she gasped. ‘None of us knew, but one of the human countries found out somehow. We thought it was an attack on the Maou at first, because he had been called into our world by someone else, but now we think they may have been after the Key all along.’
‘But how could they have known?’ Anissina shook her head, her face white and shocked. ‘How could anyone have known more about Conrart than his own family?’
‘Mother suspects that it was Big Simaron,’ he replied, resting both hands on his desk and letting his head hang forward wearily. ‘Dan Hiri Weller was originally from that country, if you recall.’
‘And what happened to Gunter? Greta was mumbling something about him, but she wasn’t very clear.’
‘He was struck by an arrow tipped with the von Wincott poison, and he put himself into a coma to escape its effects. Gisela doesn’t know when he will wake up, or even if he ever will-’
He raised a hand to pass it over his forehead, and he felt her touch the other one on the desk.
‘I’m here now,’ she said softly, and he looked up to see her move around his desk to stand beside him. ‘I’m with you now, you’re not alone.’
He gripped her hand tightly, unable to speak for the thickness of his throat. She tugged him away from his desk by their joined hands, and he followed her, frowning as she made to draw him out of the room.
‘All that work that we need to do will still be there in the morning,’ she said chidingly, stopping only to let him lock the door, before leading him down the corridors to his bedchambers. ‘It’ll do no good if you fall down from exhaustion.’
He said nothing because it was easier not to argue, even if he privately felt that there was no time for a rest. Soon they were in front of his doors, and she stood waiting as he fumbled for his key and unlocked them. She didn’t hesitate as she pulled him into the room, locking the doors behind him again.
It was strange to see her standing there in his bedchambers, he had often imagined her here, but never in such circumstances. She looked around curiously for a moment before going to his bed and moving the pile of half finished knitting to his desk. He stared at her when she looked at him expectantly, but when she beckoned him silently, he moved to her.
She tugged him down to the bed with her, and his first thought was: it shouldn’t be like this, before he realised that there was nothing sexual in her actions. She turned on her side, pulling his arm over her waist, tucking their still joined hands under her chin.
‘I can’t believe Conrart’s really gone,’ she said after a moment, and he stiffened.
‘Anissina,’ he said warningly, ‘Don’t.’
‘I can still remember him from when he was just a kid,’ she went on, her voice thickening with tears. ‘He really was a squally little brat, wasn’t he?’
‘Anissina,’ he said again, then stopped, because there was a lump in his throat, his eyes were stinging and his chest was hurting-
‘It’s alright, Gwendal,’ she said, turning suddenly to take him in her arms as the first few tears squeezed themselves out from under his tightly shut eyelids. ‘It’s alright, I’m here. I’m here.’
He cried then, and her own tears wet his hair as she clutched him tightly and they both let out their grief.
~
A/N: So apparently I like torturing characters when I am unwell. *shrugs*
Anyway, thanks for reading, all comment and concrit is very welcome. =)
Sequel 'So This is Love' is here.