Hilda

Hans took a tiny step forward, dressed in thin Eastern style robes made of white organza silk and gold lace trimmings. His blonde hair fell gracefully to his shoulders while thin gold head chains crowned his forehead.

He looked up towards Vilfred, his face pale, and his heavily lined citrine eyes round with fear and uncertainty. But Vilfred only smiled at him and nodded in assurance. Hans took a few more steps forward, his feet unsure as he walked towards Serenus, his knees shaking visibly beneath his sheer robes.

Serenus remained silent, not in anger or disappointment, but in utter bewilderment. And so did Hilda. She stood dumbfounded as she watched Hans, looking everything unlike Hans as she had known him, with all his hot temper and mischief. Now she saw a perfectly meek and silent boy, so silent that she wondered if he even breathed.

"Holy Demons..." Serenus barely whispered as he got down from his throne and approached Hans, his deep black eyes carefully inspecting the boy from head to toe.

Hans looked back again towards Vilfred, his pleading eyes starting to water while Serenus circled him like a hungry predator. But Vilfred only continued to smile encouragingly.

"He looks just like Mikal..." Serenus said, his lips curling up while his eyes still devoured the terrified boy. "Only much younger."

"Indeed," Vilfred agreed. "This is Hans, our younger brother. Mikal did look the same when he was at this age. I hope you are not disappointed that Hans is too young – "

"Not at all! In fact, the younger the better," Serenus pondered as he finally stopped before Hans and looked straight at his face. "How old are you, boy?" Serenus leered.

Vilfred cleared his throat before he stepped forward next to Hans.

"He is sixteen. Forgive me, Your Grace," Vilfred smiled apologetically. "He doesn't speak."

"Oh! A mute?" Serenus clapped gleefully. "Even better!"

Serenus's hands shook excitedly as he passed his fingers above Hans's hair, barely touching him as if he was afraid to mar him. And Hilda continued to watch in horror.

"Vina!" Serenus called out at once and the plump chamberlain hurried forward in response.

"Your Grace?" She bowed.

"Take the boy to my bedchamber," he ordered, still not taking his eyes off Hans.

"Right away, Your Grace," the kind brunette said as she gently took Hans's hand, leading him away.

"So, Your Grace, will you accept providing us with more mercenaries?" Vilfred asked hopefully, but Serenus did not respond as he was still in a trance, watching Hans with starry eyes as he walked away with Vina.

"Your Grace?" Vilfred called again.

"Of course, of course!" Serenus said excitedly as if suddenly awaken from his trance. "I'll give you whatever you want, I... Can we discuss the details later?" And without waiting for an answer, Serenus walked past Vilfred and hurried behind Vina. "Vina! Wait! I will take Hans to the bedchamber myself," Serenus said as he caught up with Vina, taking Hans from her at once and wrapping an arm around the shaking boy.

Hilda stood speechless, unable to process what Vilfred had just done to his little brother. She looked up around her, and her eyes met Riki's first. He did not seem pleased as well, certainly not out of concern for Hans's safety. Could he be jealous? She did not wonder for too long, before Riki turned and fled the hall, his sky blue robes and long ebony hair flying behind him.

Her eyes found Vilfred's next. Still unable to overcome her shock, she only stared at him for a long moment, her eyes silently reproaching him, before she quickly turned and hurried outside the hall as well, leaving him behind along with the guards and the chests of gold.

***

Hilda hid in her favorite wooden terrace that stood in the middle of the lake, the same terrace where she had spent her favorite night with Vilfred the last time he had been here, chatting endlessly until daybreak. Her favorite night when she had barely kissed him, but also her worst because he had not returned her kiss.

"My Lady?" a familiar voice called her while she lay face down unto the wooden floor, covering her head with one of the red cushions. She slowly raised the cushion off her head and turned around carefully towards the speaker. What was he doing here?

"Are you alright?" Vilfred frowned in deep concern as he knelt down by her side, only to find himself assaulted by the red cushion being viciously slammed against his chest.

"What the fuck have you done?" Hilda hissed as she sat upright, hitting him with the cushion once more. "Selling off your brother to that pervert!" She hit him again. "Do you have any idea what he does to little boys like him?"

Hilda was just about to hit Vilfred again, when he caught the cushion just in time, snatching it away from her hand and tossing it aside.

"You should be grateful," he frowned, his eyes full of hurt and reproach. "I did this to secure your home."

"The gold seemed plenty enough to secure my home, and if it's not enough you could just ask my father for more. But doing this to your brother..."

"Hilda..." Vilfred sighed. "It's more complicated than you think. We need a strong alliance with Serenus, and we all know that he would never marry a woman – "

"Right, he would never marry a woman, so you decide to marry off your little brother to him!" Hilda mocked.

"Exactly," Vilfred smiled while Hilda glared at him. "You saw how very pleased he looked?"

"And what about Hans? Is he happy with that?"

"Were you happy when you got engaged to Mikal?" Vilfred asked. "Was Alina happy when she got married to Bernard? Who cares for happiness when it comes to protecting our homes?"

Hilda lowered her head. As much as she hated to admit it, Vilfred was right.

"But it doesn't always have to be that way," Vilfred smiled, gently lifting her chin up so he could see her face. "At least not for us."

Hilda raised her eyebrows in wonder while Vilfred held up her right hand and caressed her fingers. What was he doing?

"Why are you still wearing this?" He frowned as he looked down at her hand, his thumb brushing over the citrine stone of her old engagement ring, the ring Mikal had put on her finger. Vilfred took off Mikal's ring at once and dropped it onto the floor.

Hilda's heart thumped as Vilfred bent down and kissed the same hand, and the next thing she knew, he was sliding on another ring, a fine gold band with a bright emerald stone that matched his green eyes.

"Will you marry me?" he asked out of nowhere, his voice deep and sensual, his words unsettling her whole existence.

Hilda looked up at him in awe, unable to speak. She barely nodded, and next, she found his lips falling upon hers, sealing her mouth with a deep long kiss. The kiss she had always dreamt of... He wrapped his strong arms around her waist while she held on to his shoulders, their kiss growing deeper and sweeter. A soft breeze passed by them, caressing their cheeks and tousling their hair. The lanterns swayed and the wind chimes jingled above them, while small ripples rose within the lake beneath them, splashing softly against the pier...

"What about.... Mikal?" Hilda asked, a long moment after the kiss had ended.

"What about him?" Vilfred frowned.

"Aren't you going to save him?"

"The only way to save him would be by usurping your father and giving up Grytia. Is that what you want?" Vilfred's frown deepened.

"Of course not!" Hilda laughed at Vilfred's silliness. "But there must be something else we can do. Let me see..." Hilda paused for a long moment as she tried to think of any ideas.

"There is no way, trust me," Vilfred insisted.

"There is!" Hilda said cheerfully as a sudden idea came to her mind. "Listen to this. How about you trick the Vausterians into thinking you are actually accepting their offer?"

"How is that?" Vilfred asked.

"A fake withdrawal of the Kassarathi forces!" Hilda beamed. "Withdraw the Kassarathi. But let them keep hiding somewhere until William's forces take Grytia. The Vausterians release Mikal. And then the Kassarathi attack Grytia, taking the Vausterian forces by surprise!"

Vilfred laughed out and Hilda frowned. What was so funny?

"Seriously?" he chuckled. "You are willing to put your city through such a great risk, actually hand it over to the enemy, in order to save the man you hate more than anything?"

"I don't exactly want to save Mikal, but I am sure you do." Hilda shrugged. "Or do you no longer care for your baby brother?"

"Of course I do!" Vilfred snapped suddenly at the terrible accusation, and Hilda was a little unsettled by his deep scowl.

"Hey, I was just teasing you," Hilda said in an attempt to calm him down. "I am only trying to find a way to – "

"Why do you care that much for Mikal now anyway?" Vilfred was still scowling.

"My, my! Vilfred! Could you possibly be jealous?" Hilda laughed out only to receive a dark glare from Vilfred, which she found exceptionally adorable. "Vilfred, my dear, I definitely do not care for Mikal. But I care for you. And I know you want to do anything to save him." She smiled as she held his hands, and she could tell that her words had calmed him down a bit.

"I wish I could do something," Vilfred sighed. "But I cannot put Grytia at such a risk. I cannot put you and your family at such a risk. But what I am quite certain of is that Mikal will be alright. He's my brother and I know him well. He will find a way to get himself out of there, with or without our help."

Vilfred smiled hopefully and Hilda smiled back in support, taking his hands in hers.

"Right, he will be alright," she assured him.

***

It was shortly before dinner when Hilda found Riki in the library, and he still did not look happy.

"You can't be jealous of Hans, could you?" she teased as she approached him.

"Of course not," he scoffed, turning his face away from her.

"Hmm. Are you worried that Serenus would cast you aside?"

"Maybe, a little," Riki pouted, "and also..." he hesitated, and she could hear a hint of tears in his voice. "You're going to leave soon, aren't you?"

Hilda felt a deep pang in her heart as Riki turned to look at her, tears welling up in his dark brown eyes. It was true. She was going to leave soon. She only sighed and took Riki in her arms.

"I'll come back to visit someday."

"Don't make promises you can't keep!"Riki said, his voice hoarse with tears, breaking her heart.

"Hans is here now. Vilfred and I will definitely come and visit him at some point." Hilda assured as she smoothed Riki's ebony hair. "Will you take care of Hans for us?"

"I will," Riki mumbled in a tear stained voice, and Hilda did all she could not to cry.

How she hated goodbyes...

But at least, she was finally going home.

****************

Do you hate Vilfred enough now? I can still make him more evil if you want :D

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