Harry Potter and the Berserker

Chapter 9

Disclaimer- Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling and Berserk is owned by Kentaro Miura. I own nothing.

It was perhaps a show of wealth, combined with a streak of vanity that compelled Count Julius to possess his own manor instead of residing with the resident family in Midland's capital castle. The manner was located just a few miles from the castle itself, a close enough distance for Julius to travel to and from the court of his brother; and easy for Guts to find, even in the dead of night.

All night long he had observed Count Julius' movements throughout the manner from the shadows, learning his routine and the layout of the dwelling. Julius had spent the better half of the early night giving orders to servants and discussing a few matters with an old scholar. That was until a certain visitor came to pay Julius a visit. She was a tall woman in a dark yet elaborate dress with her dark hair veiled by a headdress that framed her narrow face and regal features. Guts needn't have met her to know that she was Midland's Queen.

And it was perhaps due to her visit that Guts learned where Julius himself resided within the large manor. From his current position on the roof lining the courtyard, Guts was able to identify the flicker of candle light from the window of the manors spire, along with the soft billow of smoke that escaped from the chimney; adding further fire to the passion that was surely going on between the two of them from within. For a brief flicker of a moment Guts pondered what the king would say if he were to discover what was going on between his wife and his brother.

Ultimately, Guts didn't really care. It was just a fleeting thought. And besides, one of them was going to be dead soon anyways.

After the two of them were finished with their explicit nightly activities, Guts observed Julius escorting her majesty back to her awaiting carriage and then calling his young son Adonis out into the courtyard. "Fetch us some swords!" Julius ordered the Master of Arms.

"The tourney swords, My Lord?"

"My son won't become a great warrior by training with wood all his life," Julius said, ignoring the nervous look from his young son. "Bring us live steel."

"At once, My Lord." The Arms Master returned with two broadswords for the father and son pair. Julius held his sword with a steady grip while Adonis had to use both hands to wield his, and even then he could barely lift it.

"It's heavy, father," Adonis pleaded for a lighter one.

Julius denied his complaint. "Do you expect to become strong by using a sword fit for a baby?" His tone was condescending, and he knew it. "You won't be a boy forever. It's time for you to man up!"

As harsh as Julius' words were to his Adonis, Guts knew them to be true. Who knew when the war with Chuder was going to end? One day Adonis would have to take his father's place and lead a portion of Midland's army; and he wasn't going to do that as a weak little kid.

Their blades clashed and Adonis fell flat on his bottom. "Pick yourself up!" Julius commanded. "Come on, Adonis!"

Pushing himself to his feet, Adonis dragged his sword across the cobblestone courtyard to where his father stood. "Hiyahhh!" Adonis managed to swing the sword, albeit using both hands but Julius was easily able to knock the attack aside. Julius brought up his knee up to Adonis' stomach sending him reeling back.

If anyone were to see Guts' face from beneath the hood of his cloak, they would have seen a flicker of nostalgia pass like a shadow over his brown eyes. Everything about this situation felt oddly surreal to Guts; like he was reliving a scene of his own past in the present. From the much larger opponent, to the sword too large for him to properly lift as a child of six, to even when Julius was a bit too forceful with his strike and ended up cutting his son on the arm. And for a sliver of a minute, Guts could almost feel a tinge run along his nose where the scar running horizontal rested.