#raise a hand if you were surprised at who [redacted] was because you didn't already spoil yourself with the tumblr novel summary post. yeah

[delicatemusickingdom]

Book 1 Part 2 Chapter 2.4

Chapter 2.4

Yuri tilted his palm, and several coins fell into the jar with a clinking sound. Swallowing up the coins with its gaping mouth, the jar made a small but heavy sound in its stomach. Yuri stood still, listening intently. In the past, it had always made a high-pitched sound, but now it was different. 

The jar was the size of a child’s torso. It sat there enshrined on the ground, unmoving. 

On the other side of the jar, Jiri stood there, silently watching. But when the last coin fell into the jar, she opened her mouth. 

“You’re the last one, Yuri. That’s all for this week.”

Yuri peered into the jar, staring at its contents intently. Jiri came closer and peered inside as well. 

“You’ve saved up quite a bit. Honestly, I’m surprised. I didn’t think you guys would work so hard to gather this much. You have my respect.” 

But the boy nodded so slightly that his black hair only swayed a little. Jiri waited for a while to see if Yuri would say anything more, but eventually she gave a slight shrug of her shoulders.

“Alright, go and rest for today. You still have work tomorrow, right?” 

Yuri raised his head to look at Jiri. 

“Aunt Jiri, we only need just a little more. Just a little more, right?” 

His gaze looked like he was begging for help. Like he was telling her to say yes. Jiri met that gaze without averting her eyes, but her words said something different. 

“Go on. You should get some rest.” 

Her voice was filled with sympathy and kindness, something rarely heard from her.

For a while, Yuri stared at Jiri. But eventually he turned his face away and left the room. The door closed, leaving Jiri alone in the room with the jar. She looked at the jar again. 

At first, each time a coin was thrown inside, the jar would make a harsh, clattering sound that grated the ear. Empty vessels echoed well, after all. But now it was so full that you could see the coins piled up inside if you peeked into it.

For the past few months, beginning with Yuri and Flynn, the children of the lower quarter had worked their bodies to the bone, and this was the collective fruit of their endeavours. 

There was no lie in what Jiri had said to Yuri. Flynn was one thing, but not counting Yuri, even if it was to save Norein, she hadn’t expected the other children to persist this long. Or maybe some of them had given up, but had been stopped, and then supported by their friends — like a microcosm of the lower quarter. 

Every week, when they were paid, the boys would each come and put their own earnings into the jar and leave. No one was ever absent. 

Evidently, she’d underestimated those kids. Jiri thought that with a quiet sense of pride. 

These precious funds were more than just mere pocket change they’d earned. The boys had entrusted this money to the most reliable person in the lower quarter, in other words, Jiri. Grandma Jiri will protect our money without fail, even if the Imperial Knights raid her house. That’s what the boys all thought. And Jiri responded to that trust. Every week, the jar would swallow up their money, and Jiri would hide it in a place only she knew until it was time to bring it out again. 

But. Even now, their most important goal remained unfulfilled. The panacea continued to be out of their reach. That, too, was an undeniable reality. 

Jiri stared at the jar. There was no expression on her face, but in her eyes, various thoughts and emotions intertwined together. 

Eventually she slowly rose to her feet, looked at the ceiling, and closed her eyes. 

****

“Damn it.” 

He thrust out his fist, and a hard sound rang out from the wall. Pain shot through and ran down his arm. 

Yuri gritted his teeth and slowly lowered his arm. 

Everyone’s efforts were steadily accumulating and manifesting in the form of the earnings in the jar. In truth, he never expected to save up this much money in such a short period of time. And yet it wasn’t enough to obtain a panacea bottle. They were still in short supply, but more than that, the prices hadn’t stopped rising. 

If the price had been like in the past, before this series of disturbing events had occurred, they would already have enough money to buy several bottles. But now, what they had wasn’t enough to save Norein. 

Somewhere out there, someone was cheating the system. Yuri didn’t know if it was one person, or a bunch of people, but because that someone always existed, a life that could be saved was now unable to be saved. 

It was unfair. But that was how the world worked. 

Yuri thought of his friends. 

He hadn’t exchanged many words with Flynn lately. There weren’t many opportunities to talk because they were both busy with work, but even when they ran into each other occasionally, Flynn was constantly absent-minded, and didn’t talk much. 

Yuri couldn’t blame him. 

Even though the person in question would never say it out aloud, Flynn was most likely — no, he had to be — the most anxious out of all of them. How long can Norein hold on for? Yuri had heard that she rarely even woke up these days. Helplessness, impatience and distress. Yuri felt like he could feel Flynn’s anguish as if it were his own. 

No — Yuri mentally shook his head. That was most likely overreaching. How could someone who had never known their mother imagine what it was like to lose one, and feel the fear that came with it? But that thought evoked a pain similar to a small ache in his chest. 

There were other things to worry about, too. By now, Jareth and the other children should have learned the price of the panacea. This was to be expected, but the thought that their efforts might never be enough must have had a considerable effect on the boys’ motivation and enthusiasm. Inwardly, Yuri was anxious. How long can everyone remain united like they are right now?

What did Jiri think about all this? At the very least, he was pretty sure she didn’t think things were proceeding smoothly. That’s why she didn’t answer his previous question. Instead of lying to him. 

Yuri wanted to sleep. Sleep, and escape the feeling that they were headed straight towards a dead end. But he was sure his sleep would also be filled with dreams of drowning in a swamp. Of being trapped and unable to break free, somehow managing to stay afloat by struggling, but eventually running out of strength and slowly sinking into its depths ——

****

“Then you really can’t?” 

At Flynn’s question, the merchant put a hand to his head apologetically. 

“Yeah. Can’t do anything if our supply is delayed.” 

The merchant gestured with his chin to the loading dock in front of them. Before there had been enough wooden boxes and packages to form a mountain, but now there were only a handful of packages left. A bunch of adults — carriers — just hung about the dock doing nothing, as if they had too much free time on their hands. 

Flynn wasn’t surprised to find that there was no work. This wasn’t the first time this had happened. He had already visited several merchants he used to work for, and they had all said the same thing. 

The uneasy atmosphere swirling in the imperial like an eddy had finally started to affect the boys’ work opportunities. Monsters appeared on highways as a common occurrence, and the number of caravans transporting goods between cities had drastically decreased. The Imperial Knights were supposed to escort these caravans, but there was a shortage due to most of their troops being away from the imperial capital, and the mercenaries that would fill in for them were busy protecting their own bases. The circulation of goods between the imperial capital and other cities was experiencing delays, and as a result business within the imperial capital was tapering off. 

Everyone was talking about the monsters. Species that lived in the forest would appear in the grasslands. Monsters would appear in places where they normally wouldn’t be. Monsters that usually acted alone were now forming packs. Monsters would attack whether or not you had escorts. 

It was as if the beings known as ‘monsters’ had begun to behave differently from what was previously known, but no one knew why. The only thing these changes had in common was that it meant the dangers ‘outside’ had increased significantly. Along with the halting of circulation of goods, news coming from the other places had become scarce, and the people huddled up in fear inside the barriers. 

“I wonder how long this will continue…… If this drags on, I may have to close down my business. Sorry about that. I know you came all the way here.” 

“No, it’s fine. Well, if you’ll excuse me.” 

With a slight now, Flynn left. The merchant had treated him like a normal person. It was the extensive result of the boys’ hard work for these past few months, but that didn’t mean they could find work. It couldn’t be helped. Flynn’s steps were heavy. 

Yuri and the other children were waiting just a short distance away.

“Looks like this one was a bust too.” 

“Yeah. ……Same as everyone else?” 

The boys all nodded dejectedly. They were aware of the current situation, but they didn’t expect all of them to be unable to find work. Though the rumours had been spreading for a while now, they had earned the trust of the people from the ‘other side of the wall’, and had worked hard to maintain it. So it came especially as a shock for them when that was suddenly all taken away. 

There were jobs that were still high in demand, but most of them were dangerous and thus too much for the young boys to handle. Furthermore, pretty much everyone from the citizens’ quarter had heard about the boys’ reputations and come to believe in them. The boys had already visited all of their potential employers, and there were none left to find. 

There was nothing more they could do. In silent agreement, Yuri and the other boys began trudging back to the lower quarter. At least there was work to be done there, even if the wages wouldn’t be as high as they wanted it to be. 

At this rate, there won’t be much money to put into the jar this week. Yuri’s heart sank. But it must be even harder on Flynn. We have no choice but to do what we can. Yuri walked as quickly as he could. 

****

A whistling sound cut through the air. It was a sound that would cause you to instinctively duck down. In fact, that was what the boys did. At the same time, the walls of a nearby house emitted a short, hard sound. 

“Watch out!”

At Flynn’s sharp cry, the boys managed to scramble to the side of the road, even as they stumbled down the slope to the lower quarter. 

Yuri looked in the direction of the sound and saw an arrow sticking out of the wall. As if guided by it, several other arrows came flying, accompanied by the same, ear-piercing sound. The arrows mostly hit the walls and ground at haphazard angles, either sticking in or bouncing off the surfaces. 

“Take cover and hide!” 

Following Flynn’s lead, the other children hurriedly ducked for cover behind nearby barrels and wooden crates. Yuri also followed suit, and turned to look at the top of the slope. The arrows had come flying from there, but he couldn’t see who had shot them. 

Are we the targets? Yuri wondered, but he was pretty sure that wasn’t the case. But then who, or what are they shooting at?

Suddenly, a shadow fell over the street. It wasn’t an arrow. The moment he reflectively looked up, he saw something hop over the other side of a building’s roof — and vanish. Was it a bird or a cat that had been surprised by the arrows? No, that wasn’t it. The shadow was vague in shape, but Yuri recognised that vagueness. 

Involuntarily, he opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, there was a loud sound from the top of the slope. He couldn’t see anything because the path was curved, but it sounded like hollow metal striking each other, or hitting the ground. It was the familiar sound of armour — in other words, knights. 

Everyone else seemed to have realised that as well. They were already tense, but now they stiffened up even further. They stared at each other uneasily, and looked towards the slope. 

The sound got closer and closer, until finally what appeared from the corner of the street was as they had imagined. Knights. This was the first time Yuri had seen such a large number of knights since that day when he saw the knights leave the imperial capital not long ago. 

There were more than a dozen knights, clad in armour and rushing down the slope with a ferocity unlike anything he’d ever seen before. Of all things, they were holding crossbows in their hands. 

So those were where the arrows came from. And as Yuri expected, it looked like their target wasn’t him and the others. Though he was convinced of that, at the same time he was worried. Although he had never touched one before, he knew what a crossbow was. It was in the training manual Flynn had. Since it was a manual for swords, it only had a rough outline for crossbows, but Yuri had read it anyway — thanks to what he had learned from Norein. 

According to the manual, it was a weapon that fired arrows using a spring mechanism. Though it wasn’t a blastia, it had much more power and range than a hand-strung bow. Apparently it was so powerful that at short range it could even pierce through armour. Naturally, if any of the boys were shot, they would go down without any resistance. But Yuri noticed something else. 

The knights were still a distance away, but Yuri could tell they looked different from usual. They were giving off a terribly savage and violent aura, and they looked to put it in one word — murderous. And extremely so, too.

The knights were often arrogant and violent to the lower quarter residents to begin with. Was the thing they were chasing after really that important? Or were they simply influenced by the disturbing atmosphere surrounding the imperial capital? 

Either way, right now the situation was extremely dangerous. The Imperial Knights had to know that there were people in the lower quarter area. Despite that, they had fired their arrows without caring if their arrows hit anyone by accident, and even now they were rushing towards their direction at a ferocious pace. 

Should they reveal themselves while they had the chance? But there was no guarantee the knights wouldn’t shoot at them on reflex the moment they exposed themselves. Yuri didn’t feel like making such a gamble. Not to mention, he couldn’t force that on his friends. 

His eyes met Flynn’s. Flynn was staring at him from the shadow of a building across the street. Seeing the intense concern in his eyes, Yuri realised Flynn was thinking the same thing. 

As expected of Flynn, he thought, but there was no time. Yuri looked around. There were gaps between the houses. They were too narrow to be called roads, but they didn’t seem impossible to pass through — that is, if you were a child. 

The boys were scattered on either side of the street. Launching pebbles at their feet, Yuri drew his friends’ attention and pointed at the gaps near each of them. They understood quickly, and one by one they slipped between the buildings and disappeared. 

Good. We’re all familiar with this area, and this way knights can’t get at us either. Yuri watched the last boy disappear into a gap like a rabbit down a hole and nodded. Only Flynn remained. 

There were gaps near both of them. But Yuri suddenly jumped out into the middle of the street. Keeping his waist low, he crossed the street in one go. Flynn’s eyes widened. 

Several arrows tore through the space where he had been seconds ago. Yuri dived and rolled over, almost crashing into Flynn. 

“What are you doing?!” 

“There’s something I’m curious about.”

Yuri gave Flynn a sidelong glance and plunged into a gap in a nearby building. Confused, Flynn followed behind him. 

The gap was darker and narrower than it looked, but like he remembered, it wasn’t a dead end. The two of them crossed through the gap to the other side, and immediately hid so the knights wouldn’t spot them. 

But the knights had fired arrows at them, which meant they alread knew what Yuri — or whatever it was that tipped them off — looked like. They were only one street away, so the chances of getting spotted again were high. Before that could happen, Flynn started running — and stopped. 

“Yuri!?”

The black-haired boy was crouching down in the alleyway, staring fixedly at a point on the ground.

Flynn approached him with a dubious look on his face, but when he realised what Yuri was looking at, he frowned. 

“Blood…? Whose blood is that…?” 

“The person they’re chasing after.” 

Saying that, Yuri lifted his head and looked towards the bottom of the slope. He had seen a shadow on the roof of a building. Yuri had intentionally jumped over to Flynn’s side of the street because the building was on Flynn’s side. 

“They’re hurt.” 

Still facing the bottom of the slope, Yuri stood up. Flynn must have recognised the look in his eyes, because he gave Yuri a reproachful look. 

“What are you going to do?”

“Chase after them.”

He had been unsure on what exactly to do until Flynn asked him, but thanks to that his decision was clear. Naturally, Flynn looked confused. 

“Why?” 

“Because it’s most likely that guy.” 

“‘That guy’?”

“The ‘Dark Wings’.”

Saying that, Yuri broke into a run. 

But soon after, another set of footsteps followed him from behind. 

“…I’m coming too.”

Yuri was surprised, but hid it. Instead, his lips curved into a smile.

It was a hopeless chase. The only clue they had was the bloodstain they had found at the beginning. They had guessed that the thief was headed in the direction of the lower quarter and headed there for now. But they also had to be wary of the intruding knights, and they couldn’t rule out the possibility that the person was hiding somewhere along the way. 

The owner of the bloodstain was most likely moving across the rooftops. They might be able to find more traces if they climbed up the building, but then it would be their turn to get spotted by the knights. The knights before hadn’t asked questions before shooting, and the two of them were reluctant to expose themselves to those crossbows.

“Yuri, that wall over there.” 

Despite Flynn saying that, Yuri didn’t know what he was pointing at at first. It was only when he got closer and strained his eyes that he finally spotted it. There were indeed traces of dark red stains on the wall. 

“You have sharp eyes.” 

Yuri said, inwardly relieved at the discovery of the new trail. 

Flynn gazed at the bloodstain, and tracked the direction of where it had dripped from to over his head. 

“The blood fell from above. They’re still moving across the rooftops.”

“Do you know which way they’re headed?” 

“The fact that they’re running along the rooftops…  means they're always running parallel to the streets. I can’t say for sure, but most likely they’re still heading for the lower quarter. 

“That’s enough for me. Let’s go.” 

****

Their target was slowly getting cornered. All of the knights were excited by this realisation. The thief had stolen from the royal quarter in broad daylight. If they could catch him, they’d clearly reap a glorious reward. 

And although the Empire was governed by a council of nobles, nowadays that same council was in a state of political tension with the Imperial Knights. The nobles relied on their own security for their mansions, so by capturing the thief who had broken through these defences and gotten away, the knights could show off their superiority. On the other hand, there was no excuse if they let the thief get away. 

Due to large-scale expeditions being carried out, the number of knights in the imperial capital was lower than ever before. Although they were the Imperial Knights, the amount of knowledge that a knight possessed of what was going on outside the imperial capital wasn’t that much different from that of a commoner in the citizens’ quarter. 

Such various circumstances were intertwined together beneath their excitement of the hunt. 

Their reason wasn’t necessarily simple — and yet maybe it was simple after all. 

Unease. 

The crossbows that the knights were holding were made purely for combat. They wouldn’t let the thief get away. They would capture him — even if it meant they had to kill him. 

****

“Not good, hide!”

At Flynn’s words, Yuri quickly ducked into a nearby shadow. Immediately after, the knights appeared as if out of thin air, holding crossbows in hand. They passed by the two of them without noticing, yelling angrily as they did so. 

The two of them held their breath and waited for the sound of armour and footsteps to recede. If anything, they were in luck. After all, they hadn’t seen any bloodstains for a while, and were starting to worry if they’d lost sight of the thief. 

But the knights were moving strangely as well. They had been heading straight for the centre of Fountain Alley for a while now, but now they were headed for a different direction. Judging from their pace they didn’t seem to have completely lost sight of the thief. Then did that mean their target had changed course? 

“We should just follow them.” 

There was the worry that the knights would beat them to it, but it was better than losing sight of the thief. 

The two of them nodded to each other, then quietly stepped out of the shadows and resumed their pursuit. 

Come to think of it, it was times like this that they should have their sword with them. Yuri suddenly had that thought as they hurried on ahead. They had gone through all that training, but when it mattered the most, they didn’t have a weapon on hand. How ironic. 

Of course, the threat they were facing right now wasn’t like the monsters they’d encountered before. No matter how much he disliked them, the knights were still humans. He’d never seriously thought of fighting them. 

Oh well. Yuri thought about it rationally. They would only have one sword anyways, and any hatchets he could use were all in the fields far away. 

The two of them followed the knights, taking care not to get caught while not losing sight of them. Suddenly, they stopped. It sounded like the distance between them and knights had suddenly grown shorter. They carefully moved closer and took a peek. 

Yuri knew what he was going to see even before he looked. It was a sight he was familiar with now. Beyond the rows of broken down and slanted eaves of houses, and separated by a street. A stretch of buildings, abruptly devoid of colour. 

“The Grey Alleyways…” Flynn spoke on behalf of Yuri’s thoughts. “So this is where he escaped to.” 

Up ahead, the knights were reorganising themselves. 

So when Yuri had seen the knights here the last time, they had been chasing after the ‘Dark Wings’ after all. Back then they had clearly hesitated to go in. This time, they were aware of where the thief had ended up and had stopped for a moment, but it looked like they had no intention of giving up. 

Yuri was reminded of that uncle. Was that strange knight still somewhere in the imperial capital? Or was he far away from the imperial capital, fighting monsters or whatever enemy it was? The thought of such a person fighting anyone or anything felt strange. Of course, he couldn't say for sure if that uncle was among the knights right in front of them. 

Unlike the last time, the knights didn’t split up, but advanced as a unit into the Grey Alleyways. Such a large group of knights were dangerous, but they were louder, and thus it was less likely that the thief would run into them. The boys signalled to each other with their eyes and quietly resumed moving forward. 

To be honest, Yuri didn’t really understand why he was doing this. There was Norein’s medicine costs, and the lack of work, and the manual work in the lower quarter that he’d been exempted from for so long. He had plenty of other things he had to worry about, so why was he courting danger with the Imperial Knights and challenging the Grey Alleyways again? 

Was it because he had witnessed the ‘Dark Wings’ spectacularly escape from him the last time? Was that why he was chasing after them? What was he planning to do after he chased them down? In the first place, there was no guarantee that the target they were currently chasing was the ‘Dark Wings’. 

—No. With the way those knights were acting, to Yuri at least, that was sufficient proof that they were up against the ‘Dark Wings’.

However, right now, what was preoccupying Yuri’s mind was rather the bloodstains they had found several times before. No matter who it was, they were being chased down by knights and they were injured. The realisation was driving him forward, even if he didn’t realise it himself. 

He had the feeling he couldn’t just leave them alone. 

But then what about Flynn? Taking care not to make any sound as he ran, Yuri cast him a doubtful glance. If anything, Flynn was critical of the ‘Dark Wings’. It’s not like he was going to cooperate with the knights, so why was he following Yuri? Was it that he couldn’t leave them alone? And who exactly? 

The ‘River Escapade’ came to mind. Back then too, Flynn had followed along despite his reproach. They’d pushed the heavy cart together, fought together, and — laughed. 

Oh, right. He was like that. It had felt so natural that he hadn't been conscious of it until he suddenly was, and then he felt embarrassed. 

He glanced furtively at Flynn. The golden-haired boy was walking with the same serious expression on his face. 

For some reason Yuri felt a small sense of relief at that as he quickened his pace. 

****

“He’s not here either.” 

“Dammit, where did he go!?”

The knights hurled insults upon hearing the voices of their comrades in the nearby buildings. They had gotten worked up because of the hunt and bravely ventured into the grey labyrinth, but couldn’t find their quarry. They were suffering from a backlash from their enthusiasm, and the knights were on the verge of exploding in frustration. 

They would slash their swords or shoot their arrows at walls in place of markers, peer down streets at random, and even break down the doors of houses to search inside, and repeat. But there were an infinite number of streets and houses to investigate in this labyrinth, or so it felt like. The knights desperately continued to search while resisting the sense of futility creeping up on them. 

“He has to be somewhere nearby. Search harder!” 

There was a reason why the knights hadn’t gone any further into the labyrinth. Of course there was the fact that they were reluctant to expand their search area, but more importantly, they had found a bloodstain nearby. Confronted with this concrete evidence, the knights grew excited and did a thorough search of the area, but so far their efforts had yielded nothing. 

“How long are they going to keep at it?” 

Yuri murmured as he watched them run about from his hiding spot. 

“That’s how desperate they are. We won’t be getting away lightly if they find us.” 

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” 

The two of them were hiding near where the knights had come from. The knights had found the bloodstain up ahead, so it was unlikely they’d come all the way back here to search for the thief, but it was best to be cautious.

“Come out, ‘Dark Wings’! You’re under arrest! Come out!” 

The knights’ yells echoed uselessly through the streets. Of course, there was no response. In a fit of anger, some of them swung their crossbows and fired their arrows at the walls. One of them nearly hit a fellow knight, and they were given a thorough scolding. 

Even so, no matter how long Yuri and Flynn waited, the knights showed no signs of cooling down from their enthusiasm or losing their drive. Seemingly unsatisfied, they searched the same places two or three more times. But eventually, they concluded that they must have investigated this place thoroughly enough, and gathered together before proceeding deeper into the labyrinth. 

Yuri and Flynn moved forward until they reached the area that the knights had been rampaging through just a few moments ago. They had originally planned to wait until the knights had spotted the thief before taking a detour around to get ahead of them. But the knights had were making a huge fuss about the evidence they found in the area, so the two of them stayed close by and continued to watch them, and missed their chance to move. 

“I guess they weren’t here after all.” 

Yuri looked down at the ground. The bloodstain the knights had found had long been trampled all over, so there was no way to verify it. 

“Like I thought, it’s better to get ahead of them… Flynn?” 

There was no response. Yuri turned to look, and saw that the golden-haired boy had his back facing Yuri, and was staring intently at something with a thoughtful expression on his face. 

“What’s wrong? Did you find something?” 

Instead of answering, Flynn turned his head, looking left and right, before returning his gaze to the wall in front of him. It was a grey wall, no different from the other walls around them. 

“……It’s gone.” 

“What?” 

Flynn tilted his head in confusion, and started muttering to himself. He suddenly raised his hand and touched the wall, running his fingers along its rough surface.

“It should have been here. If I remember correctly…” 

As he muttered that, he walked sideways along the wall. Then abruptly, his figure fell forward, and in the next moment he disappeared. 

“Flynn!” 

In an instant, Yuri was all alone. Forgetting about the knights, he raised his voice and yelled without thinking. 

What in the world just happened? Yuri  stood where Flynn had just been. He hadn’t gotten a good look, but it had looked like Flynn had been sucked into the wall. 

The wall? Come to think of it, he had the feeling Flynn had been touching the wall. No matter how he looked at it, it looked just like a wall. Quietly, he raised his hand. Then, licking his lips, he thrust out his hand. 

His eyes widened. The wall conveyed no hardness whatsoever, and his hand was buried in the wall from the wrist down. 

In a panic, he jerked back his hand and confirmed there were no problems with it. He tried it again, but the result was the same. 

Yuri was convinced. He didn’t understand how, but somehow this wall didn’t exist. 

In which case…

So as not to hesitate, Yuri dove towards the wall in one go. Sure enough, there was no sensation at all — not. 

His face collided with something soft. Yuri panicked and stopped, blinking. 

In front of him was a familiar-looking back. Flynn was standing frozen in front of the entrance to a narrow street. Yuri had bumped into his back. 

He turned around to look and saw only a wall where he had been. It stood there solidly, as if he hadn’t just passed through it. But it had to be an illusion. 

Despite the spectacular collision, Flynn didn’t even turn around, and just stood there in silence. Noticing this, Yuri peeked over Flynn’s shoulder. His eyes widened, even more than when he had touched the wall earlier. 

They were in an extremely small and narrow passageway, sandwiched between two buildings and ending in a dead-end. And sitting down and leaning against that wall in the back, was someone familiar. 

They were wearing several layers of dark, baggy clothing. They had slumped down weakly, legs pointing in their direction. There was a different cloth tied tightly around one of their legs, damp — with blood. The cloth couldn’t staunch the blood, and it seeped out and splattered onto the ground in a spine-chilling pattern. He couldn’t see the wound, but it didn’t seem like a minor injury. 

They had come this far carrying this injury. And they had done it not by running through the streets, but by jumping from roof to roof. Even the young boy could tell that was an incredible feat worthy of admiration. 

But they must have pushed themselves quite a bit. They looked exhausted, and their shoulders were shaking as they breathed raggedly. 

The ‘Dark Wings’.

But what surprised Yuri the most was something else. Despite the many layers they wore, their hood was askew, and the cloth covering their mouth was loose. With their face half-exposed, they stared back at the two boys. Yuri recognised those eyes, and that face. 

No. Impossible. Yuri felt himself inhale sharply. 

“Grandma Jiri.” 

****

“Ah man, my cover’s been blown. And by you two of all people… I must be getting old. I wish I could stay young forever.” 

It felt strange to hear a familiar voice coming from a figure that looked so different from their usual self. Especially since the image Yuri had of the thief in his mind was different from the actual person. 

“I pushed myself just a little harder than usual, and this is the result. Serves me right. Haaah.”  

Perhaps because of her injury and her fatigue, Jiri seemed more talkative than usual. 

Yuri still couldn’t shake off his confusion, so he kept quiet and listened. The mysterious thief that targeted only nobles and the rich. The legendary chivalrous thief who distributed their loot to the poor. And the Jiri who devoted herself to washing clothes and cooking at ‘My Home’. The Jiri who tended to the fields alongside Hanks — the thief he thought was so far away from him, was actually right by his side all along — he was so shocked that he couldn’t think straight. 

“So you really are Aunt Jiri. But then why—”

It was Flynn who had opened his mouth, but Jiri raised a hand to stop him from continuing.

“Sorry, but let’s leave that for later. We have to leave before the knights come back. Apologies in advance, but I’ll need you to lend me a hand. Yuri, check if the coast outside is clear.” 

She tried to stand up and grimaced from the pain in her wound. Flynn rushed over to support her. 

Various thoughts were finally beginning to converge in Yuri’s head. Grandma Jiri was the ‘Dark Wings’. He was surprised at first, but when he thought about it, it would be just like her to do something like this. What in the world did she steal, or try to steal? Since the knights had gotten so worked up over it, it must have been something big. Something important. Something like—

“Yuri.”

Yuri gave a start at that voice. It was a voice that pierced all the way to his bones, demanding that he respond immediately or suffer a fist flying his way. When he turned to look he saw Jiri and Flynn looking back at him. 

Yuri hurried back to the wall he had previously walked through. No matter how many times he looked at it, he only saw a wall. He brought his face close to the wall until he was touching it — or not. His face went through the wall, and the view of the streets outside appeared right in front of his eyes. From an outsider’s perspective, it must have looked like a boy’s face had sprouted from the wall. 

Yuri quickly looked left and right, checking for any signs of activity. He couldn’t hear a single sound. The knights must have advanced quite far in, or at least moved to a different block. 

He pulled his head back and looked back at Jiri and Flynn. 

“It looks like we’re in the clear.” 

Jiri nodded, and then put her hand in her pocket and made some kind of groping motion. 

Flynn let out a surprised yelp. When Yuri turned around, the wall had disappeared, leaving behind only the entrance to their alleyway. 

“Was that… your doing, Aunt Jiri? What kind of—”

“It’s a holo blastia.” 

“……A blastia!?!?” 

“Let’s go.” 

At Flynn’s urging, Jiri gritted her teeth and started walking. With every step she took, a pained breath escaped from her mouth. She stopped right in front of the gaping Yuri. Had she reached the limits of her endurance? But Flynn had a puzzled look on his face. 

Jiri turned to look at Yuri. There was a familiar expression on her face, one he didn’t want to see. 

“I haven’t forgotten how you called me Grandma just now.” 

****

Fortunately the three of them made it out of the Grey Alleyways without running into any of the knights. Jiri and Flynn led the way, having memorised the way back. 

After leaving the Grey Alleyway, they had to be on the lookout for not just the knights, but the residents of the lower quarter as well — after all, the world’s greatest and most notorious thief was walking around in broad daylight — but luckily, there was no signs that anyone had seen them. 

Yuri had a mountain of questions he wanted to ask her, but he didn’t. At any rate they had to move quickly, and either way Jiri was in pain and bleeding, and had no energy to spare. 

Even then they would stop from time to time to let Jiri rest, and check to see if they had left any trail of bloodstains behind them, and if there were, erase them to the best of their ability so they wouldn’t be found. They couldn’t say for sure if they had missed anything, and they didn’t know whether they had done a perfect job of erasing the traces that did exist. But in any case they had to avoid being tracked down later. 

They were headed towards Hanks’ and Jiri’s house. Jiri had instructed them to do so. In other words, once they got there, she would be able to treat her injury, and he would have all the time in the world to ask what he wanted to know. 

…Is what he thought, but when they finally reached her house, Jiri opened the front door a crack and slipped in. She immediately swung the door close, leaving only a small gap so they could only see her face. 

“Well, I was somehow saved. You have my thanks. I’m sure you already know this, but don’t tell anyone what you saw today.” 

“Aun—” 

“Got it?” 

“…G-Got it.” 

Yuri instinctively tried to speak up, but Jiri completely shut him out, and in front of their eyes, the door slammed shut. He had wanted to say something, but he couldn’t find the right words. Come to think of it, Flynn hadn’t spoken much, or at all. What did he think about all of this? Just as Yuri opened his mouth to speak — the door opened again. 

Jiri suddenly poked her head out. She raised an eyebrow and looked down at Yuri. It was so unbefitting of the current situation, he couldn’t tell what she was thinking. 

Out of nowhere her fist swung down and struck the top of Yuri’s head. Sparks flew across his vision. 

“Agh!??” 

“That’s for calling me a grandma. I told you I didn’t forget.” 

With that, the door closed again, and didn’t open again. 

****

It seemed Jiri’s injuries were quite serious after all. Although she hid it by wearing clothing with long hems, to Yuri and Flynn who knew the situation, it was clear she walked while favouring one leg. She walked slowly, not to mention it looked like she wouldn’t be able to run for quite a while. 

Still, the sight of Jiri working in the plaza the next day as if nothing had happened left Yuri and Flynn at a loss for words. They’d thought she’d been bed-ridden and unable to move for at least a few days. 

“Won’t your wound reopen?” 

When Yuri murmured that, Jiri shut him up with a look and prevented him from saying anything further. He started to be more careful after that as well. 

It felt strange knowing that the ‘Dark Wings’ was right before his eyes, and on the contrary, the fact that he knew the truth made him feel a certain sense of superiority. But if he let it slip carelessly and it reached the knights’ ears, it would spell a disaster. Yuri understood that much. 

He tried to find a time when no one was around to ask her his questions, but whenever he did some adult would always show up and ruin the opportunity. As Hanks’ wife, Jiri was often sought out for advice. Even though he understood that, he felt frustrated and impatient. 

So Yuri went to the only other person he could talk to about this.

“If it weren’t for Grandma’s injury, we could have asked her to steal the panacea from that noble the other day.” 

The situation hadn’t changed; there weren’t many jobs in the citizens’ quarter that paid well, and on the other hand Norein’s condition wasn’t looking good. The great thief, the ‘Dark Wings’ could probably steal one — as long as they didn’t make a mistake like the last time. 

If possible he would have liked to obtain the medicine with their own efforts, but the situation was dire. They didn’t have the luxury of choice. 

But Flynn showed no reaction to Yuri’s words. He stayed silent, as if he was depressed about something. 

“Oii, Flynn?” 

The lack of response made Yuri feel concerned. Flynn had a unique obsession with the knights — even as a child, he had taken an admonishing attitude towards the negligent knights. Yuri didn’t think it was possible, but was Flynn perhaps…

As if sensing Yuri’s thoughts, Flynn looked up at him.

“I’m not going to say it.” 

Those words made Yuri feel awkward. But even so, there was something helpless, and unconfident about the way Flynn spoke. 

“I won’t say it. But… I don’t know if the situation can carry on like this.” 

“Hey, but Grandma’s doing what she’s doing for everyone’s sake, right?” 

Flynn lifted his head to look at him. In the depth of his eyes swirled a whirlpool of confusion. 

“……I don’t know. I really don’t know.” 

Flynn stared at Yuri. Why can’t I think the same way you do? Those eyes of his seemed to look pleadingly at Yuri. Yuri didn’t know how to respond to him. 

Flynn lowered his eyes. 

“Either way, it’s as you said. We have to do something about the medicine.” 

“……Yeah. Let’s go to the citizens’ quarter again. There might be work available.” 

Neither of them believed Yuri’s words, but they both nodded anyway. It was as if they both wanted to escape from this topic of conversation. 

Prev | Index | Next

[justleaf]

Summary

Roche and Iorveth go on a date with Geralt as their chaperone (not the hat).

Content Background

This one is especially painful to yeet because it was already completed, together with 50% of the next chapter that was the smutty bits. It was finished right about the time I posted Chapter 5 and would have fit in as Chapter 11, but it just didn't make sense with all the additional plot points I'd shoved in.

I've redacted the parts that could potentially get my tumblr banned btw please donut laugh when you see it.

Original Fic

It Took Years

Length

2,300 words

_____________

“Geralt, remember when I released you from prison and saved you from the Nilfgaardians a year ago?”

The white wolf raised his eyebrows in surprise. Roche had never called in a favour for him, and he could tell that Geralt knew it was going to be quite significant. He had thought about it too many times and despite the embarrassment and possibly never being able to look the witcher in the eye, he simply had no other choice.

“Look, I just need you to help Iorveth and I create an alibi.”

“... Uh-huh?”

“We have a meeting with Dijkstra in Novigrad in a week's time, and I plan to…” he swallowed hard when the words became momentarily stuck in his throat. It took another second for him to gather his courage to speak, and the slight tremble in his voice was immediately noticeable.

“I plan to spend the night with Iorveth in one of the inns the night before. But we need someone to cover us.”

The white wolf seemed to grow even paler and his lips pressed together in contemplation.

“You know that I have enhanced senses.”

“I know, but I need to make sure that no one catches us. Not the Scoia'tael, Blue Stripes, Dijkstra’s spies, Redanian spies, any Nilfgaardian-”

“Alright, alright, I get it. You just need to make sure that everyone thinks that I invited you two for a drink and make sure that no one is listening in.”

“I know I’m asking a lot of you, but you’re the only one I can trust in this situation. I haven’t… Iorveth and I don’t have any other opportunities. I can’t even hold his hand without worrying that someone is watching.”

Geralt stared blankly at him and Roche’s heart began to pump harder. His worry must have shown on his face, for the witcher immediately sighed and shook his head.

“Come to the Chameleon. I’ll get you guys a suite. With a wall to separate the living area and the bedroom.”

Roche looked up at him and down a few times, wondering first if Geralt had misspoke, and then if he had misheard. When the witcher said nothing and shrugged, Roche finally accepted it with a nod.

“Thanks, Geralt. Drinks are on me,” he muttered and hung his head a little. Embarrassment was beginning to burn his cheeks.

“Don’t mention it. I’ll see you soon.”

<center>_________________________</center>

“Why are we here so early when Geralt only wanted to see us after sundown,” Iorveth whispered as they passed the guards that almost ripped their papers in half. Roche had smooth-talked his way in and Iorveth was impressed, even though he didn't let it show.

They had set aside their armour and entered the city dressed as merchants: Roche in a nondescript outfit that let him blend in with the rest of the nobles, and Iorveth draped in a cloak that obscured his elven features.

The sun was nowhere near setting when they arrived in the city. Roche had intended to take him on a date around the city, but didn’t want to admit it.

“I didn’t want to disappoint Geralt by being late.”

“Gwynbleidd would have understood.”

“Well, since we’re already here, we might as well explore the city. I heard of a tavern along the docks with an elven cook. Would you like to go there?”

The mention of food changed Iorveth’s expression immediately and Roche suppressed his laughter.

They dined at the Golden Sturgeon, where Iorveth immediately received preferential treatment from a redhead with freckles (it's Bea btw). She made sure to seat them in a relatively hidden corner and Roche could see the elf progressively relax as his shoulders began to sag. He even spotted the hints of a smile dancing on his lips when she put some strange fish dish in front of him.

Just when Roche thought that Iorveth was incapable of enjoying himself even more, he became increasingly pliant when they sat down at the Chameleon for a pint while a band played in the background. Roche didn't understand the first thing about music, but his two mugs of ale were enough to get him to keep his reservations.

Besides, he had something really cute to look at.

The elf's cloak was finally down and he could see the tips of his pointed ears twitch with every beat of the drum. He thought about how nice it would have been to pin him down to the bed and toy with his ears. His eyes trailed across the elf’s neck. If they didn’t have anywhere to be tomorrow, he would have left bite marks across that smooth skin.

<em>Mine,</em> he thought, and he wanted the world to know once all this was over.

“You play the recorder don’t you,” Roche asked out of the blue. Their eyes met and Iorveth was slightly startled by the intensity of his gaze, but he didn’t back down.

“Yeah. There’s been too much going on recently and I haven’t had the chance to though.”

“You can practice with mine tonight.”

“Vernon,” Iorveth warned with a glare, and then quickly glanced around the room to see if anyone was within earshot. There wasn’t, but the tension in his body didn’t leave.

“I could polish yours all night too, you know.”

The elf flinched and could see the pink develop along the tops of Iorveth’s high cheekbones and the tips of his ear. Past his flustered expression however, there was a particular heat blossoming in his eyes. Roche didn’t let up, his curiosity driving him to see just how much he could take it.

“My carrying case is a bit small, but I’m sure yours will fit in with a bit of a shove."

This time, Iorveth couldn't resist the urge to push back. Dandelion's tavern was filled with his regulars who were deep in their own conversations, and they were just talking about music, right?

"So you admit that my instrument is bigger."

"Well the quality of the instrument doesn't matter if the musician has no idea how to handle it."

"I think we've proven that I'm the better player though."

"Our last few encounters haven't exactly been skewed in my favour and I still managed."

"There is no fairness in music and in battle. You should know this, <em>Commander</em>."

The way Iorveth said the word made his mouth go dry.

Now <em>that</em> was truly unfair, and his [banana] agreed. He was seconds away from tugging Iorveth upstairs when the doors swung open and in stepped the white wolf.

"Geralt!" he called out and waved a hand.

"Nice to see you both. I hope you didn't wait long."

The witcher took a few steps towards them, sniffed the air and wrinkled his nose. He had this resigned look about him and Roche immediately knew that he could smell their arousal.

"Let's drink in my room," Geralt suggested and grabbed four mugs of ale from a passing waitress. She protested at first, but nodded and flashed him a huge smile when she saw who he was.

They headed up the stairs and Roche had to try very hard not to openly stare at Iorveth's ass. It [eggplant] and he had no choice but to stare ruefully at the ground.

As soon as he saw that the second floor was empty, he reached out and pinched the elf's behind. Iorveth jumped at the touch and almost spilled his own mug of ale, and Roche was treated to one of those embarrassed glares. They quietly ascended another flight of stairs and neared the room, and Roche could feel his heart race and his breathing grow ragged.

Finally, after two weeks of planning and trying to fit all the pieces together, it was happening. It had been a year since Dol Blathanna and months since they started seeing each other, and Roche was raring to go.

Geralt opened the door to a suite on the top floor that was exactly as he described: a small living area with a table for four and a few sparse furnishings, though it was far more comfortable than the arrangements he was used to. Partitioned off by a wall and door was a bedroom mostly occupied by a sizable bed and more pillows than he could count. A decision made by the bard, no doubt.

As soon as the door closed behind them and they set down their mugs, Roche grabbed Iorveth’s collar and shoved him towards the bedroom. The elf looked mortified and nearly lost his footing, but he recovered within the span of a few steps. He grabbed Roche’s arms and plucked them off him, then tried to shove him backwards but Roche held his ground.

“What the fuck, Roche?!”

Roche took a step back and considered Iorveth’s anger. The elf's gaze had grown sharp and alert, but he was mostly just shocked at the audacity of his actions. He just flashed him a devious smile and was returned a twitch of confusion.

“What? Didn’t you always like roughhousing me on the forest floor?”

“Not in front of Gwyn-”

Roche barely gave Iorveth a chance to answer. He charged forward, wrapped an arm around the elf’s waist, and threw him straight into bed. Iorveth went flying into the mattress with a groan and Roche climbed straight into his lap. Heavy footsteps thudded behind them and stopped by the door.

“Oil’s on the nightstand. Don’t get the sheets dirty and take your shoes off before you get in bed dammit. I can’t afford to pay for new sheets too.”

“Gwynbleidd, what is the meaning of this.”

“Just a little gift from me to the both of you. Have fun, Iorveth. Just try not to make too much noise.”

The door behind them closed and Iorveth just stared blankly at Roche, who was already taking off his top. No words came out of the elf’s gaping mouth, so Roche blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“Enjoying the date so far?”

“Explain yourself Roche, I’m not-”

The elf had to pause when Roche began grinding in his lap. It worked until it didn't, and Iorveth grabbed onto his hips to still them. Roche just wanted to get to the fucking already, but the elf refused to be distracted no matter how much he tried.

“Did you plan all this? Coming to my camp to pick me up. Picking flowers for me along the path. Bringing me to the tavern for dinner. Having drinks. This fake meeting with Gwynbleidd.”

“Of course. When else was I going to get the opportunity to take you out on a date?”

Something in Iorveth cracked visibly and Roche went dead still with nervousness. The other lowered his gaze and Roche cupped his face in his hands, desperate for his elf to be okay. He stroked his cheek gently and tilted his head up to try and get a better look at that unreadable expression. This was the opposite of what he hoped would happen and worry began to pool in his stomach.

“Hey, hey. What’s wrong. Talk to me,” he urged and placed a peck on the scarred cheek. There was no answer, so he continued fluttering kisses along his jawline. He felt like his world might come crashing down at any moment and resisted the urge to salvage the situation before he knew what was going on.

It felt like Iorveth was cycling through a thousand and one emotions. He cupped the elf's face in his hands and pulled back, where he was greeted by a vulnerability he had never seen before. The other had this dazed and awed look in his eyes, and if Roche wasn't so flustered by the sudden change of pace, he might he caught his surrender.

“Vernon…”

“I’m here. What is it? You can tell me.”

“It’s just...overwhelming.”

“In a good way or bad way?”

“Good way.”

Roche released the breath he didn’t realise he had been holding. It was nice that the reaction was somewhat positive, but Roche’s poor heart couldn’t take the anticipation. Surprising Iorveth was turning out to be quite bad for his health.

“Well. Have you enjoyed yourself?”

“Mmn.”

“It's okay. We'll take it at your pace.”

“I just... need some time to process this. I’ve never been treated like this before. It's overwhelming.”

“Well you deserve it. Take the time you need, it’s okay,” Roche encouraged again and placed another peck on his nose as he undid the bandanna that obscured half his face.

This really wasn’t how he thought the evening would go, but he had to admit that it was nice. At the core of it, all he really wanted was to be able to kiss and hold Iorveth intimately without fear of someone catching them. Now they were in bed and there was someone trustworthy to watch their backs, he supposed he had achieved his goal. Maybe they could just hold off the fucking for a while more.

“Do you want to take a nap with me,” Roche offered after they'd sat in silence for a while.

“Yeah… I would like that very much.”

Iorveth tried to take off his cloak, but Roche shushed him and pushed his hands aside. The elf had a blank look on his face and hurt momentarily flashed across his eye.

"Let me," Roche rushed to salvage as he pulled loose the strings on his cloak.

“I can undress myself you know.”

“I know you can, but just let me pamper you a bit more.”

The tips of Iorveth's ears were bright red and Roche suppressed the urge to tease him about it. Slowly, he helped the elf strip down to his underwear and slipped him beneath the sheets. Then he took off his own garments and joined him, snuggling up to that warm and slender body that seemed to fit so perfectly with his.

Yeah, he could wait.