Happy Birthday, Yasumi! May this year be comparatively free of exhaustion and schoolwork, and filled with much happiness!
So yeah, um, this was supposed to be like 3K words of fluffy fantasy-ish LithChu but that DIDN'T HAPPEN, and now it's...well, now it's this extremely gigantic thing. Enjoy, I guess? (I feel like Toris is exceedingly OOC but you know what, I do not care.)
Anyway, yeah. Happy Birthday!
Once, in the hills of an icy Northern land, there was a great castle. In this castle, there lived a young king, who, although not yet able to rule himself, looked after his subjects with the help of a wise advisor. The young king was a weak, frail child, but his chief advisor was strong, and she had sworn to protect the kingdom until her king could do so alone. And in this castle ruled by the boy king and his wise advisor, there lived a young man called Toris, a favored servant to the king, who had been summoned to appear before his majesty's advisor, Anya.
He stood before her, silent, head bowed, awaiting her instructions, and when she did not speak, he gathered courage and began to speak himself.
"You called for me, my lady?"
"Yes, Toris." She spoke his name softly, as if speaking any louder might break his name. It still surprised him, to hear his name spoken with such kindness and love. "I have a special job for you."
"Anything for you, my lady. I am the king's servant, your servant, and your will is mine to carry out."
He heard a smile in her voice. "You may look at me, Toris. I am not the Queen, only our King's advisor. Do not be afraid. I want you to accompany me on a journey outside of these walls. We shall not be gone long, but it is my wish that we visit the surrounding villages. It has been some time since I have left this place."
He had a faint memory of a time long ago, of sitting huddled on a street corner in some village with another boy, a boy with catlike eyes and a cocky smile.
"I'm hungry," the cat-eyed boy complained, and before Toris could answer, someone else did.
"Hungry, are you, brat? Where are your parents?"
Toris didn't like the tone of the man's voice, nor the roughness of his face and demeanor, and he tensed, huddling back into the shadows as the cat-eyed boy leapt up, snapping at the man.
"They're dead! Where're yours? Didn't they teach you any manners?"
The second man's rough laugh startled Toris, and he huddled further in on himself, wishing he could run away.
"Better be careful with that one; he'll be a handful."
"He can be tamed. All these little country savages can."
"I'm not a savage!" the cat-eyed boy shouted, and the man laughed.
"We'll see…"
"Toris?"
He shivered involuntarily, the memory still fresh in his mind.
"What's wrong?" Anya bent to look him in the eyes, her own, violet eyes full of worry. "I did not mean to hurt you…"
"I'm all right," he said quickly, smiling, hoping she would not pick up on the false smile or his nervous tone. "I…I'd best go and make preparations for our departure. We'll need provisions and…and other such things."
Anya smiled. "I can always depend on you, my Toris. Go now."
He bowed and left her presence, not daring to relax until he was halfway across the castle courtyard on his way to the stables. I must not give her any reason to worry for me again. She has shown me only kindness; why must I repay her with weakness?
"Torisssss!"
Ordinarily, he would have been able to brace himself for the anticipated attack, but either his reflexes had been slowed by Anya's words, or he simply didn't care anymore if it looked odd for a castle servant to be thrown to the ground by a very affectionate child king.
"Raivis, what have I told you?" he grumbled. "Kings do not - and I repeat, absolutely do not - assault their servants with their overly affectionate greetings, at least not in public. People are going to start thinking there's something wrong with you."
Raivis did not look the least bit concerned with what other people thought of him, as he made no move to get off of Toris, or to apologize to the general population of the castle for the disturbance he'd caused.
"But Toris, you're practically related to me anyway and-"
"Practically related or not, you are the King, I am your servant, and all in all, you should not be knocking me down in public purely because you're happy to see me. What if I'd overreacted and accidentally stabbed you?"
"You'd never do that," Raivis pointed out. "You're too nice."
"Well, get off me, or I might have to change your opinion," Toris said good-naturedly. It's no use trying to tell him; he never listens. "I have some things to do right now, so I can't play with you."
Raivis bounced up, a hopeful smile plastered on his face. "Can I come with you? Pleaseeeee let me come with youuuuu…"
"Fine, but it's not going to be an adventure. I'm going to the stables, then to the kitchens, and… Raivis, are you even listening to me?"
Raivis had stopped, staring at something across the square. Toris followed his gaze, and saw two children - probably much younger than Raivis, but of course, what with Raivis' unusually small size, it was hard to judge - running across the courtyard, laughing.
"I wish I had someone to play with like that," Raivis whispered, and then he turned back to Toris, smiled brilliantly, and skipped off toward the stables as if nothing had ever happened.
And Toris, following him, was left to wonder if he had noticed the chains on the feet of the smaller child, or if he even realized what those chains meant.
When he'd set out, Kiku and Mei had been missing for a week. Now, that week had turned into two, and he was no closer to finding them. There had never been a trail of footprints to follow, merely scuffed hoof prints, leading him to wander from village to village once he lost the trail, looking for someone who knew where the horses had come from, and where they might have gone.
He stood now in the marketplace of a village that must have been fifty miles from his home, talking to a blacksmith who, although not a particularly friendly man, had given him more information than anyone else.
"None of the villages have horses," said the blacksmith, who had introduced himself as Ludwig, eyeing Yao with a wary expression. "Don't you know that?"
"My village is far from here," Yao said. "We have horses, and we assumed others would as well. If that's not the case, where did the horses come from?"
Ludwig paused, and, finally, put down the piece of metal in his hand and withdrew further into his shop, beckoning for Yao to follow.
"Come inside."
He followed Ludwig into the back corner of the shop, where Ludwig faced him across a sturdy table, his arms folded across his chest.
"What business do you have with the men on horses?"
"Two of the children from my village disappeared two weeks ago," Yao said. "I believe the horsemen abducted them, and I intend to track them down and retrieve Kiku and Mei."
Ludwig laughed harshly. "You might as well try and slay a dragon. It'd be easier."
"Who are these horsemen and where did they take the children?" Yao pressed, lowering his voice. "I don't have time to play games."
"You really don't know?" Ludwig asked, looking him straight in the eyes. "How far away is your village?"
"Far enough. Tell me."
"There is a castle, North of here, and technically speaking that castle and its inhabitants have no business with us. You'd do well, though, not to tell them that. They take what they please from us. Our horses, our crops…and our children, when they can."
Ludwig's eyes were cold, blue like the ice in the fairy tales Yao had grown up hearing. That coldness did not waver as he continued speaking, as if all humanity had been driven away by hardship.
"If I were you, I would go home. Your children were almost certainly taken to the castle, and if you go after them, you'll never leave that castle. They'll take you as a slave, just like they took the children you're searching for."
"Why would they do something like that?" Yao hissed.
Ludwig shrugged. "They need laborers. We can provide that. If they'd ever tried to negotiate, even once, any of us would have gladly worked for them without being forced. We need food, clothes, a place to sleep, and if we could have that, we would all do whatever they asked us. As it is…even blacksmithing brings in very little profit in the villages. In a way, being taken away from here is merciful. In another way, it's cruel."
"Then someone should negotiate with them!" Yao declared. "Someone should go the castle, ask to see…to see whoever is in charge, and explain the situation."
"You really think people who kidnap children as slaves would ever listen to something like that?" Ludwig asked.
"Perhaps not. Probably not. But no one has ever tried, have they? And I won't go back to my village without Mei and Kiku. Point me toward the castle, and then leave me to my travels. I thank you for your information."
"You're being a fool," Ludwig informed him. "You can't reason with castle-folk."
"But no one has ever tried, have they?" He turned his back on Ludwig and left the shop, holding his body straight and rigid. It was only once he was outside and out of Ludwig's sight that he allowed himself to slump against a building for a moment, sighing.
Idiocy or not, it's the only way I could even dream of getting Kiku and Mei back. I refuse to go home without them. I'll go to the castle, and if they won't listen to me…I don't know what will happen. I'll think of something. There is no other choice."
In the countryside not far from the village where Yao had met Ludwig the blacksmith, Toris was trying not to panic.
"Anya- My lady- With all due respect, you did not tell me that the object of this journey was to take more slaves!"
Anya, completely unruffled, smiled kindly at him, which did nothing to dispel his panic.
"Toris, don't you remember how hungry and scared you were, alone out here?"
"I…I…"
The terror of being thrown over someone's shoulder, forced onto a creature he'd never seen before, and taken to a fortress made of ice-covered stone was insurmountable, compared to the everyday fear that came from living on the village streets. He had, at least, been able to live with hunger and cold. Not so with being separated from his friends, being made to stand alone on a platform with chains on his ankles, realizing that the prices being called out were bids on his body and soul. He would rather have stayed on the streets than experience that terror, even if it had ended in warmth and safety.
"You do not have to help with their capture, Toris," Anya said. "I only wished to have you here to calm them."
"Calm…them?"
"You were afraid when you came to us, yes? I want you to tell them about life in the castle. Tell them they will not be harmed. They will remain happier, healthier, if someone kind talks to them. Will you do that?"
"I…" They'll be taken either way. The least I can do…is make it easier for them. "Your wish is my command, my lady."
Anya smiled, reaching out a large hand and patting Toris's head as if he were a puppy. "Good, good, Toris. Wait here for now; you will be called when it is your time."
She stood and left the carriage, leaving him alone, slumped against the gilded seat.
I'll never understand why they feel the need to take slaves.
After leaving Ludwig's village, Yao had pressed on in search of the castle, not planning to stop until he reached it. But his road led him through another village, this one far poorer, with timid, emaciated children who looked at him with dull eyes as he passed. In the last village, at least, the children had seemed curious about him.
As he neared the far side of this small village, he began to hear a noise, as if someone was screaming or shouting for help. A few minutes later, the first villager scurried past him, away from the noise.
What in the world?
He pressed forward, passing deserted houses, and, finally, saw an entire family leave their house and flee past him further into the village, the parents and older siblings pressed around the smallest children, as if to shield them. And even despite that, he pressed on, becoming more and more certain as the crying grew louder that the screams were largely those of children.
"What are you doing?" A firm hand clasped his wrist from behind, stopping him in his tracks. Yao turned toward the possible assailant, seeing, instead of an attacker, a thin young woman.
"Don't go that way," the woman said. "There's nothing you can do about it except hope they don't catch you - and if you go there, they will catch you."
"Me, in particular?"
"You look different," the woman said grimly. "Castle-folk prefer 'exotic' slaves."
It was no wonder she was hiding, then; with her pale silver-blond hair, she was at the very least an unusual girl.
"Then they shall have me," he said. "I have business with the lord of that castle."
"You won't speak to the King," the girl said darkly. "He's only a child, and the Lady Anya won't listen to you, whatever it is you want with them."
She still had not released his wrist, but she was trembling, her threadbare cloak pulled around her with her free hand, and she looked terrified.
"What happens to me is not your problem," he said gently. "Go, hide with your family. If I do manage to reason with the castle-folk, you may never have reason to hide again." He paused. "What is your name?"
"Natalya. You should know that you're more likely to die than to ever convince those castle-folk that our way of thinking is right."
"Well," he said, "at least I will die trying."
He pulled his wrist from Natalya's hand and turned away, glancing back once to see her still standing in the street, clutching her cloak around her, watching him. After that, he did not look back again, and could only hope that she had escaped to a safe hiding place. He was very close to the source of the screams, now, and he rounded a corner to see the source of the disturbance laid out in front of him.
Just outside the village, where the villagers either would not or could not venture, a group of men were gathered, apparently cheering on someone in the middle of the mob. All the men were in the same uniform, and a short distance away, there stood several horses, tethered to the trees, along with a rough but apparently well-made cart, and a gilded coach that, Yao could only guess, must belong to either the King or the 'Lady Anya' mentioned by Natalya. He stood, indecisive, at the edge of the village, until a shriek split the air and he leapt forward, almost by reflex. The scream had most certainly been a child's.
The soldiers were so intent on the scene in front of them that Yao was able to slip into their midst without anyone noticing him. Weaving his way around them, he found himself at the front of the crowd, finally able to see the source of the screams. There was a boy on the ground, a boy clad in tattered village clothes, a boy being beaten by one of the soldiers. And some of the shouting was the soldiers', for he could make out the words now.
"Go on! Show him what happens to village brats who try to play hero!"
The boy did not look the least bit heroic. Rather, he looked like he needed a hero to rescue him. If he had not already been so close, if the boy had not looked so close to death, Yao would have taken time to formulate a plan. But the boy was barely even crying anymore when the soldiers struck him, and by the time Yao came up with a real plan, it might well be too late.
He leapt forward just in time to block a particularly vicious strike from what appeared to be the leader of these soldiers.
"Stop," he said. "He's no good to you dead."
"Ooh," said one of the soldiers, "this one thinks he's a hero, too."
The captain nodded. "He seems to. Shall we punish him, then…?"
Yao braced himself for the anticipated punch, noticing as he waited that the boy behind him was stirring, moaning quietly.
"Wait. Captain, what is this?" The voice was more refined than the soldiers', with an accent Yao did not recognize. But, miraculously, the Captain lowered his arm and stepped back, turning to the woman in white who had come into the midst of the soldiers.
"L-Lady Anya… I…"
"I see what you have done," said the woman, who was, Yao could only assume, the Lady Anya. "Beating slaves is not your job, Captain. That may be done at the discretion of their owners, not yours."
She glanced at Yao, a curious glint in her violet eyes. "And you, where do you come from? It is rare to see one like you in these parts."
"Other than the children your men kidnapped two weeks ago?" Yao hissed.
Anya did not seem overly surprised at the accusation. She shrugged, a blank expression hovering on her face.
"Were they from your village?"
"Yes," he said. "And I've come to get them back if I can, or, at the very least, to attempt to reason with you and with the King, my Lady."
She stepped forward, smiling, and actually patted him on the head. "I like you. Perhaps I shall listen to what you have to say…later. Captain, put him and that boy in the wagon with the others, but do not put this one up for sale. He is mine."
Yao did not have time to protest before the soldiers were pulling him away, into the wagon where a group of villagers waited, in chains, to be taken away. All were young, probably much younger than he was, and most of them were crying. Shackles were locked around his feet and hands, and then he was left alone with the rest of the captives, without so much as a reassurance that Anya intended to hear him out later.
"No respect for human dignity," he muttered, feeling the chains around his wrists and ankles and trying not to show that he was the least bit afraid. Next to him, the young villager he had saved lifted his head, glaring at Yao through fierce blue eyes.
"Damn you," the boy hissed, although, really, it was more of a whimper. "I'd rather be dead than a slave. Why didn't you let them-?"
"Because you are a child and because there may be hope for you yet," Yao said calmly. "No one is ever better off dead than alive, regardless of their life's circumstances."
The boy laughed bitterly. "You're going to have a hard time keeping that philosophy. If that Anya woman wants more of your kind, you'll have a hard time of it, unless you give your whole village up."
"I am confident that I can survive whatever that woman sees fit to do to me," Yao said. The boy looked unconvinced, and he decided that, considering he still didn't know the boy's name, it was probably time to ask.
"What's your name?"
"It doesn't matter anymore. We're not people now; just property."
"If you believe that, you've already stopped fighting. You fought earlier, didn't you? Are you going to give up that easily? Are you going to stop trying to save anyone just because someone decided to put you in chains?"
"I…my name is Eduard."
Yao smiled. "Pleased to meet you, Eduard. I am called Yao. And I promise you, if it is at all within my power, I will find a way to return you to your village." And I will return Kiku and Mei to mine, no matter how long it takes, no matter what I must do. It will be done.
Toris had never been more relieved to be back in the castle. Once, it had felt like a prison, but now, it felt like home, and he was glad to be there, instead of out in the country, watching children cry as they were herded into carts and chained there to suffer alone for the duration of the journey.
Anya's plans had changed, although Toris was not sure why, and instead of being sent to the wagon to calm the slaves on their journey to the castle, he had been forced to wait until they returned to the safety of the castle, 'so that no harm would come to him'. Clearly, something had rattled Anya, although he could not imagine what it could have been.
Night had fallen, and he walked through the castle grounds by torchlight, heading for an outer building, where the slaves would be kept until their auction, two days hence.
Tomorrow, they will be branded and examined, but tonight, they will be ordered to sleep and be unable to because of their fear. It is my job, starting now, to dispel that fear, to convince them that they will live good lives here, although those lives will not belong to them.
The guards let him in without question, recognizing him as the King's servant and the one sent to pacify the slaves. He descended alone into the darkness of the holding cell, carrying only a torch for light, and trying not to shake as he remembered his own experience there.
Just as when they had been captured, the new slaves were shackled to the wall, so at least, if this went badly, they could not attack him. He paused for a moment in the doorway, looking round at them. They're so young. Most of them are younger than I am…and…and I'm sure I'm not any older than twenty, if that…
"What do you want?" He could not identify the speaker at first, but as he turned, searching for the source of the voice, he saw a boy with bruises on his face and arms glaring at him. "What are you going to do to us?"
"I will do nothing," he said gently. "You have my word."
"The word of a castle lord?" the boy spat. "As if we'd trust you, you who kidnapped us!"
"I am not a castle lord," said Toris. "I am no different from you."
He held out his left hand, the hand with the four-pointed star brand that denoted a slave to the kingdom, watching as the boy's expression changed from anger to surprise to confusion.
"You're a…"
"I am."
"Then why are you down here? What did they tell you to say to us?"
"Only the truth." He knew he sounded twisted, wrong, either completely evil or stupidly devoted to his masters, but what else could he say? Raivis and Anya had treated him well; he had to tell these children that there was hope for them, if not in true freedom, then in the prospect of a loving master.
"I have lived in the castle for the past eleven years, under the service of one master. In all that time, I have never gone hungry, nor been abused. I don't doubt that there are abusive masters in this castle, but I also believed that many of the lords and ladies here are kind, good people, who will treat you well. I cannot pretend that this is the same as freedom, but it is something. There is hope, if you find a good master."
"And what if you don't?" It seemed every person in the room had been frightened into silence, except for the defiant, injured boy who had first spoken to Toris. "What if no one wants you? What if someone tells them 'this one's a troublemaker, don't waste your time'? What if the only person who wants you is the one person in this whole castle who works his slaves to death? Then what happens?"
"If I were to find out, I would plead with the King to intervene," Toris said, looking the boy straight in the eyes. "And that is a promise. I am the future King's servant, and though he is not yet fully King in his own right, he will listen to me. I would never willingly leave any of you to suffer, although I cannot change the castle laws."
"Eduard," said a quiet voice, "I believe he is telling the truth."
Toris glanced at the prisoner chained next to the boy - who was evidently called Eduard - and was startled to see that this man was about his own age, but much smaller built.
"I am telling the truth," he said. "I hope that my words can offer you some comfort, if nothing else."
The morning after the King's servant came to speak with them, Yao and his companions were taken from the underground holding cell, out into the light of the courtyard.
"What are they doing?" Yao asked Eduard, who somehow knew everything about the castle and the processing of new slaves.
"Branding." Eduard's face had gone pale beneath his bruises. "We'll each be branded on our left hands, like that man from the last night. The brand will never fade, so everyone will always know what we are."
They stood, still shackled together, in broad daylight, and Yao amused himself by watching the castle-folk, who had gathered to look over the slaves, murmuring amongst themselves. He caught Eduard's gaze lifting to the windows of the castle looming over them, and, following his gaze, saw a small figure silhouetted in one of the windows.
"I wonder why that kid doesn't come down here, if he wants to see us," Eduard said. "All the other kids are down here."
"Perhaps he is sick," Yao said, and then he looked forward in line and realized how close they were now to being branded.
"I don't want to be a slave," Eduard whispered. "I want to run away, but once we're branded there'll be none of that. Village-folk will turn in a runaway so that their own families will be exempt from becoming slaves. That's how things are. That's how it's always been."
"It can be changed," Yao said. "I believe that it will be changed, one day."
When it was Eduard's turn to be branded, Yao reached forward and clasped the boy's right hand as the iron was pressed to his left. Eduard's grip was like metal, only it was a metal that bent and quivered, until finally the iron was removed from his hand, and he relaxed for an instant before he was pushed out of the way, making room for Yao. The man wielding the branding iron was a slave, too; Yao could see the brand on his hand, and he felt a pang of sympathy for the slave who must seal other human beings into a life of imprisonment. When the iron was pressed to his hand, he tried not to flinch, but behind him, Eduard slipped his quivering right hand back into Yao's, and he was more comforted by it than he would ever have admitted.
The brands forever scarring their hands, Eduard and Yao were forced back into a group with the other branded slaves, waiting to be taken back underground, to await the fast-approaching auction. As Yao scanned the courtyard, he saw the Lady Anya striding toward them, her eyes fixed on him.
"If we are separated here," he murmured to Eduard, "I wish you well."
Anya marched up to the soldiers, glancing at Yao as she did so.
"Unchain that one. He is to come with me."
"Good fortune to you, Eduard," Yao murmured, as one of the guards unlocked his shackles, separating him from Eduard, who had grown pale again. "It will be all right. I have faith that we will both come out of this better for our experience."
"I wish I had your confidence," Eduard whispered, and then the soldiers were forcing Yao away, and he did not have time to reply.
"Will you walk peacefully with me?" Anya asked, as the soldiers dragged him close. He nodded, and she motioned for the soldiers to withdraw, leaving him with her. She smiled. "You are an obedient one. I like you."
"My name is Yao," he said, "and I would ask that you not treat me like a possession, but as a human. As an ambassador, that is my right…"
"But you are a slave now," Anya said, her voice quiet but without any trace of anger. "You are not free, Yao. Still, I like you, so I will call you by your name. Come with me, now."
He had no choice but to follow her, and he did. Their path led into the castle, through winding hallways and luxurious rooms such as Yao had never seen, and ended in a barely furnished room with no windows and a single, padlocked door. The furnishings were adequate, but the room itself was dark and bare, and he hated it at once.
"This is where you will stay for a time," Anya announced. "I will send someone to talk to you in the morning. Goodnight, Yao."
She closed the door and left him alone, and he could do nothing but sink down on the bed and try to believe that he was back in his village.
I never thought…I never thought I would end up in a place like this.
The brand on his hand throbbed as if it were still on fire.
Toris would have been happier to return to his usual duties - caring for Raivis - if the young king hadn't been in such a strange mood. Raivis had been staring out the window since Toris had arrived, early that morning, and seemed to have no idea Toris was even in the room with him. Finally, though, after what Toris thought must have been several hours, Raivis turned from the window and spoke to him.
"Toris, I'd like to go to the auction, but it's got to be in disguise, you know, so no one will bother me?"
"Of course," he said. "A dark cloak and more common clothes should do the trick. But Raivis, you know it won't be fun there, don't you?"
"I know I was very small when I bought you, but I wasn't that small," Raivis said loftily. "I remember it wasn't a very fun place, and my father…" A shadow flitted across his face, but it was gone in an instant. "Father kept reminding me of how all those people would be so, so much less fortunate than the one person I would pick. I asked if I couldn't take them all, and he laughed and said that there were some things even a prince couldn't do. So I picked you. But I thought about it for a while, and I've been thinking about it again. I can't guarantee that every slave has a good life, but I can guarantee it for some. Besides, I…I want someone to play with, someone who Anya doesn't like and isn't always stealing."
"You could tell her not to borrow me so much if you don't like it," Toris said.
Raivis scowled. "Like she'd listen to that. Come on, Toris, let's go to the auction."
So he dressed the young king in his 'disguise' - which, in fact, only made him a slightly less conspicuous noble - slipped into his own disguise, and together, they walked down to the castle courtyard, where the auction was already in progress.
"We have to get close to the front," Raivis informed him, "otherwise I won't be able to see."
When they did manage to get to the front, though, Raivis showed very little interest in the proceedings, fidgeting impatiently, as if waiting for something. Toris allowed his mind to wander, somewhere far away from the horrid auction before them and the memories it brought up within him.
And then, suddenly, Raivis was tugging frantically on his sleeve.
"Toris, Toris, listen to me, I want you to help me buy that boy, please. I don't know how; nobody ever taught me how to buy things."
Toris glanced at the boy in question, and barely managed not to seem surprised. The boy on the stage had a bruised face and terrified eyes and was, unmistakably, the one who had seemed so afraid two days earlier. Eduard. His name is Eduard.
"Why him, in particular?"
Raivis let out an exasperated sigh. "I'll explain later. For now, just please…"
So Toris joined in on the proceedings for the first time, calling out prices until, finally, no one was left to challenge him, and he and Raivis walked around to the back of the platform to claim Eduard, who waited, chains still locked around his ankles, for his owners to claim him.
"It's going to be all right," Toris said, and he knew Eduard had recognized his voice, because the boy's eyes widened in shock.
"You…"
"Not here. Wait until we're back at the castle. Raivis will explain there."
Eduard cast a wide-eyed glance at the tiny, cloaked figure next to Toris, and Raivis grinned shyly at him.
"I don't understand…"
"I thought you looked scared and lonely, so that's why," Raivis said. "Oh…but I don't know your name yet."
"Eduard. And you're…what am I supposed to…?"
"Just Raivis. Nobody ever calls me King Raivis. It makes me sound stupid and old. Now come on, we've gotta go home before somebody recognizes me and makes a huge fuss."
Raivis grabbed Eduard's hand and marched off, away from the crowd, pulling Eduard with him. Toris followed them, but as they entered the castle, he was stopped by a familiar voice.
"Toris?"
"Lady Anya." He turned toward her, and saw that she was looking not at him, but at Raivis and Eduard.
"I did not know Raivis needed another slave."
"He seems to have gotten some kind of plan in his head for Eduard," Toris said. "He wouldn't settle for anyone else."
"I see. But that is not why I stopped you, Toris. I need you to talk to someone for me. There is a new slave by the name of Yao, who I have taken into my possession. I want you to talk to him and see what you can find out, about him, about his village. He is a very odd person, and I would like to know more, but he is ill at ease with me. Will you talk to him?"
"Of course, my Lady."
Yao considered pretending to be asleep when he heard the door open. But it was cold and he had been alone for at least a day, and even if the person sent had come only to question him about his village, any conversation, however dull, would be better than sitting alone in the dark.
So he sat up, and saw the same boy who had come to the holding cell two days previous, now standing awkwardly in his room.
"Have you come to question me?" he asked.
The boy fidgeted uncomfortably. "I…I think so. I'm not sure."
"I'm sure you can understand that I will not tell you where my village is," Yao said. "I do not know what methods your people might be willing to employ to make me yield some kind of information, but know this - I do not intend to tell you anything that may lead to harm for my family."
"I'd do the same in your place. Oh…my name is Toris, by the way. And you're Yao, I think?"
"Do you have a family?" Yao asked suddenly, because he had the sudden remembrance that this boy was a slave, and might, after all, be on his side.
"I…Raivis and the Lady Anya are all the family I need. I never had anything like a family before I came to the castle."
"How long have you lived here?"
"Since I was eight. I… Wait, wait, I'm supposed to be asking you questions!"
Yao smiled. "But you don't know what to ask, do you?"
"No…"
"Then I will tell you what I can safely say. I lived all my life in my home village, until I set out to come here in search of two fellow villagers. More accurately…I'd call them my children."
He'd taken in many of the village's orphans, purely because he could, because he had steady Kiku to help him take care of the other children, because most others in the village were married and had many children of their own to feed. He'd never expected that this could happen, that his children could be stolen away like this.
"Your children?" Toris asked.
"Not mine by blood, but by adoption. I've looked after most of them since they were very small."
"How many of them did the soldiers take?"
"Two. A girl named Mei and a boy named Kiku. Have you seen either of them?"
Toris closed his eyes. "I tend to try and avoid the slave auctions, and I haven't seen any…anyone else who looks like you. I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I would avoid the auctions too."
"I hadn't been to one since I…since I was… I forgot how terrifying they are, how terrified the little kids look."
"Was the auction today?" Yao asked. Toris nodded tightly.
"This morning. I went with Raivis."
"Then…did you see what happened to…to the boy who shouted at you that night?"
"Eduard?" Toris smiled a little. "Raivis took a liking to him. He'll be fine."
"I see." After all his worry about no one wanting him, the child king is his new master. "It may sound odd…but would you thank Raivis for that? Eduard was worried he'd end up in a bad situation."
"I'll be sure to tell Raivis. I'm sure it would mean a lot to him."
"He sounds like a very kind boy," Yao said. "Perhaps too kind, to rule over a castle that puts so much stock in slavery."
"Maybe when he takes over from Lady Anya, he'll change the law."
"What if he could change it now?" Yao asked. "What if someone brought it up to him? What if you brought it up, Toris?"
Toris stared at him for a long moment, his eyes wide, and Yao could see that he'd never entertained even the remotest thought of bringing slavery up to Raivis.
In this castle since he was eight, and yet, it seems he has never once thought that he has the power to sway a boy king who could let all the castle slaves go free.
Toris stood frozen, staring at this odd man who had appeared from somewhere far away with a bold proposal of a change that he had never even allowed himself to dream of.
"You said you came here to look for your children," Toris mumbled, suddenly desperate to change the subject. "Why didn't you leave once you found out that they'd been taken as slaves and there wasn't any helping them? Why come here and become a slave yourself?"
"I'd hoped," said Yao, "to reason with the King and with his chief advisor, to inform them of the situation in the villages. You lived there once, Toris. Surely you remember the hunger, the cold, the lack of everything. My village was one of the more prosperous, but yours…yours might not have been. Would it not be better for everyone if the castle-folk and those in the villages could collaborate, so that everyone could live easier lives?"
"I…I…"
Raivis' father had not been a kind man. Toris remembered, although he did not believe Raivis did, that it had been the child King's father who had instituted slavery in the first place. He had learned this from another slave, an idealistic and defiant boy by the name of Alfred.
"He made the law, Toris, he can change it back! I don't know what that bastard thinks he's getting out of making us all slaves, but it's doing nothing for anyone, especially not the people in the villages! You've seen it; everybody's starving down there, while the castle-folk feast in warmth and comfort!"
He'd only been ten or eleven back then, and he'd known Alfred's reckless words would get him in trouble. He might not be as old as Alfred, but he'd been a slave longer and he knew how much trouble Alfred would get into.
"You c-can't just tell the King to change the law," he said. "He might get mad at you, really mad at you."
"I'm mad at him," Alfred informed him. "But don't worry, Toris, I'll leave you out of this, whatever ends up happening. You're just a kid; there's no reason for you to get involved. Just lay low, and you'll be back in your village in no time."
But Alfred never asked him if he wanted to go back, or if there was anything for him to go back to. And Toris watched, hidden in the shadows, as Alfred talked to the other slaves - some belonging to the royal family, some to other nobles, watched as anger and dissent grew and swelled, and watched as the King took notice. Warning Alfred that his plan was doomed to fail did no good, but then, when had any revolutionary army taken notice of a frightened little boy's testimony, even if it could have saved all their lives?
Toris was there when the King finally marshaled his forces to deal with the offending slaves. The villages were ripe with half-starved children whose parents had either died or would not miss them; there were plenty more slaves for the taking, and there was no reason at all to waste time on attempting to break the existing rebels into submission. He was there, hiding in the shadows near the slaves' meeting place, and he saw the soldiers coming, but in the end, a child's cowardice kept him in the shadows, a cage of fear preventing him from calling out the warning that might have saved Alfred and his friends.
As it was, he remained silent and hidden, shivering in the cold winter air, hearing the screams and still, still, doing nothing, even when Alfred was marched past his hiding place, bloodied and beaten, into the castle courtyard for all the world to see.
Alfred was fifteen years old, but he'd always seemed a lot older, and even if he hadn't, age meant nothing to an executioner. There was a defiant shout, the whistle of the blade cutting the air, and then-
"Toris?"
How long had he been standing there, lost in thought? Why did he always have to make other people worry for him, even people he barely knew, people who had no business worrying?
"I'm fine," he said, and Yao shook his head.
"I asked too much of you. I am sorry."
"Don't be. I'm just…" A coward. I'm a coward who doesn't want to die. I don't think Raivis would let me be killed. I think he'd probably listen to me, but…if slavery was abolished…what would happen to me? Where would I go?
"You are hurting, that much even I can see," said Yao. "Toris, I have just met you. I know very little about you, and I know even less about your past. But there is one thing I know, and that is that you have a generous heart. If you did not, you would not have spoken to Eduard as you did, offering him comfort and help. That was a brave and generous thing for you to do, even more so because you are a slave. You promised to help him if he fell into bad hands, and in the end, you did not have to fulfill that promise. But Toris…I have never been a slave, so I do not know…but do you not think Eduard would be far happier - and would not Raivis be far happier - if they could be friends, not as master and slave, but as equals?"
"I…"
"Perhaps you should ask your King why it is that he chose Eduard yesterday, and why he chose you in the beginning. Ask him why, and perhaps when you have asked him, you will find courage. I know you are afraid, and I am sure you have reason for your fear. But I also know this - if you cannot overcome that fear, you will forever be a prisoner, not just in this castle, but in the prison of your heart. You are a good person - do not allow yourself to stay in a cage of your own making. That will stifle your goodness, and in the end, you might not be able to be happy. I think I would like to you be happy, and so I hope you will find a way to escape your cage - both physical and mental."
Toris knew that he should have stayed to talk longer with Yao - it was his duty to find out all he could about the man and his village, but he couldn't. He didn't want to stay there anymore, and, technically, he didn't have to. He could walk freely wherever he wanted, while Yao was trapped in that stifling room.
So why do I feel as if he has more freedom than I do? Why do I feel like he's free to go where he wants, and I'm the one who's trapped, chained in place, unable to move forward?
He knew it was ridiculous, but Yao had seemed so peaceful, even sitting imprisoned in that dark room, while he was racked with doubt and fear, even as he walked unimpaired through the castle corridors.
I don't want to end up like Alfred. He shivered. But…but Raivis would never…and maybe it could change… But…but I don't have anywhere to go. Raivis and Lady Anya…are the closest thing I have to family. I don't want to leave them. I want to stay here.
He heard faint sobbing, and, following it, found himself standing in the middle of the corridor, staring at two children. One, a girl of seven or eight, he recognized as one of the castle-folk, but the boy with her, although about the same age, was small and emaciated, clearly a new slave, and he was the one crying.
"W-what's wrong?" asked the girl, whose name was Felicia. "Why are you crying, Matthew? Don't, don't cry! I'll make it better…"
The little boy - Matthew - shook his head, curling in further on himself, shivering and sobbing. Toris stepped closer, and suddenly Felicia was staring at him, her eyes wide and brimming with fat tears.
"Why's he crying, Toris? Why won't he stop? I told him I'd make it better…"
Matthew looked up at Toris, desperately, as if willing him to understand. "Want to go home," he whispered. "Want to go home to Papa."
"Why does he want to go home?" Felicia asked. "He keeps saying that, but the villages are dirty and horrible, aren't they? Why isn't he happy here? I just want him to be happy…"
Toris knelt in front of her, placing his hands on her shoulders, speaking quietly. "It's not your fault, Felicia, and it's not his fault either. It's true; the castle is much nicer than the villages. But…because he was taken away from his home against his will, it makes him sad to be here."
"How do we make him happy, then?" Felicia said at last, her voice very quiet. "I don't know how to fix that."
"I…I don't know," Toris stammered.
"Take me home," Matthew pleaded, tears streaming down his face. "Take me home, and I'll be happy."
And how many times over the years had he seen this same scene play out? How many times had he witnessed slave children crying, and their new playmates, castle-folk, confused and frightened by their new friends' sorrow? And how easy was the remedy?
"I'm being so stupid," he whispered.
"What do you mean?" Felicia asked.
"I mean that I can fix this," Toris said, and he heard his voice becoming strong, stronger than it had ever been. "Felicia, don't worry about Matthew. I'll make sure he'll stop crying soon, all right? For now, stay with him and try to help him stop crying. He needs to know someone here cares about him."
"But…you're going to fix him?"
"Yes," he said. "Or, at least, I'll do everything in my power to ensure his happiness."
He pulled first Felicia, then Matthew into his arms and held them there, two confused and shaking children, and in their fear he found his own courage, and a deep resolve to try and make things right.
I'm the only one who has the power to change things, to change things right now. And this can't go on any longer. It has to be stopped.
"Thank you," he whispered to the children. "I'll do my best."
And yet, he wasn't only talking to them, but to Yao. He did not know if the words could reach him, locked as he was in a dark, stifling room, away from the light, but he hoped they would, if not at that moment, then someday soon. Darkness could not be allowed to persist forever, nor could he allow himself to be imprisoned by fear for another day.
Now is the time…to break chains…to unlock cages…for all of us, somehow…to find our happiness. And even if…if I were to die, trying to make that happen…I think…I would be at peace with it. At least I'd know…I did my best.
He let Felicia and Matthew go, and then, straightening, he turned and ran, not necessarily away from them, but toward Raivis' room, toward the place that he must reach if anything was to be set right, if these children, Yao, and all the other slaves, were ever to be happy.
And yet, when he reached Raivis' room, he stopped short, staring, certain that someone had hurt Raivis in his absence. The young king sat motionless on his bed, staring out the window, pale violet-blue eyes far away.
"Raivis, what happened?" he asked, running over to examine him. "Did someone hurt you?"
"No," Raivis said quietly. "I've just been thinking about a few things, and I guess…I guess it hurt me, Toris. I've got a feeling in my chest, and it hurts, and I can't quite get it out by thinking."
"Would…would you like to talk about it?" Toris asked, not knowing what else to say.
"I would," Raivis said. "Toris, everything's all messed up, and I don't know how to fix it. You're smart; maybe you can tell me how to fix it."
"I'll certainly try," Toris said quietly.
"I've been talking to Eddy. He was acting really sad, and he didn't want to eat, so I asked him why. And…and Toris, it's horrible. He had parents and a family and everything and we, we took him away from that."
Raivis turned his wide, sad eyes on Toris. "Did you have a family? Did we take you away from your happiness too? Toris, did I do that to you?"
"No, Raivis. I never had a family. And anyway, it wasn't you who took Eduard and me away from whatever lives we had, back in our villages."
"But…but I'm the King. I feel like, like it's my fault. Like I could stop it if I tried. Do you think I could, Toris? Could I stop this?"
"I…I don't know, Raivis. I think you could try, but there would be consequences."
"Consequences…?" Raivis mused. "What kind of consequences?"
"Eduard might not stay here. He might go back to his family, and so might other slaves, and their former owners might be angry with you. If you're prepared to deal with that, then maybe, maybe you could change the law."
Raivis was silent for a long time, and when he finally spoke, it was quietly but firmly.
"Toris, do you want to know why I picked you, and why I picked Eddy, too? It was because, because I was watching the sale and I saw you were up there with that boy, the one with the cat eyes, but someone different bought him, and you started to cry. So I told my father 'that one, no matter what', because I thought you would be lonely, and I didn't want you to be. And…and when I was looking out the window a few days ago, I saw Anya come and take Eddy's friend away. So I decided to buy him, too. Because I'm lonely, and he was lonely, and you were lonely. Except you two shouldn't have been lonely to begin with. You should have been able to go where you wanted to, with whoever you wanted to, and not get separated from them. I realize that now. I'm the King. I could change the law. But I want to know, Toris…would that make you happy? Would being free to go wherever you wanted to go make you happy?"
Toris took a deep breath. "It doesn't matter if it would make me happy, Raivis. I know it would make Eduard happy, and all the other slaves, too. My feelings don't matter. Yours do. What do you think should be done about this?"
Raivis was silent for a long time, and when he finally turned back to Toris, his eyes were full of determination.
"I think we should go talk to Anya. I want things to change, but I don't know how to do it without her help." He hesitated. "Do you think she'll agree with me, Toris?"
Toris laid his hand on Raivis' shoulder. "I don't know. But I think if anyone can convince her, it will be you. You are her King, after all."
Lady Anya Braginskaya, chief advisor of King Raivis Galante and, at the moment, technical ruler of the kingdom, had never been quite as surprised as she was at the moment the young king burst into her room, along with Toris, requesting to talk to her.
"It's really important, Anya," Raivis said. "And I mean that, this time. I need to talk to you about something, something that really affects the kingdom."
This was enough to make her stop and stare at him, just to process what he'd said.
"I'm sorry, Raivis, but did you just say that this affected the kingdom?"
He'd never shown much interest in being King, never wanted to give her his opinion on important matters. To hear him say that he was taking an interest in the kingdom, finally, was nothing short of a miracle, and she was sure she must have heard him wrong. But he nodded vigorously, and, finally, she motioned for him to sit down.
"And what is this issue, Raivis?" she asked. It was clear that, whatever it was, it was bothering him deeply - she'd never seen him like this, fidgety and agitated, yet somehow far away.
"I…I really want to change something about the way we do things, but I don't know how." He was so hesitant, so confused, lacking the eloquence of most kings, who would have been trained and tutored in such matters. She had tried her best, but it was hard with Raivis, who would much rather be with the people than locked up in his room, learning about them. His education had been different, but it had not, she thought, been entirely pointless, for he was finally taking a hesitant, faltering initiative.
"I can help you with that, little Raivis," she said. "What is it that you think should be changed?"
"I…I think we should free all the slaves." She started to protest, but he rushed on, giving her no time to interrupt. "I know it sounds really crazy, Anya, but, but I think if we freed them…and then let the people from the villages come and work for us, except freely instead of by force, it would be better for everybody, and no one would have to be sad. I know, I know it's necessary to have people here to do the work for us, but it doesn't have to be by force. People in the villages are cold and hungry; I'm sure if we asked them, they'd come and work here for food and a place to live."
She'd been only a child when the soldiers had begun taking slaves, and she remembered her uncle, the King, explaining why it had to be done.
"Those people in the villages have been getting ideas, Anya. Someday, when you're Queen, you'll understand that." That had been years before Raivis' birth, when her uncle had believed she would be his heir. Even after Raivis was born, weak and undersized, her uncle had raised him like a prince, but continued to groom her as his successor. It had been wrong, but she had been young then, and it was only after his death that she, a young woman with sway over most of the nobles, had insisted that Raivis Galante, and not Anya Braginskaya, take the throne as their castle's ruler.
And she'd come to understand, over the years, that the villagers had never had any 'ideas', beyond a hope that they, too, could be fed and clothed and warmed like those in the castle. They had asked only for sustenance, and in return, the King had taken their children away and left them not only hungry and cold, but bereft of those they loved.
But though she understood that, she'd done nothing, biding her time, because although she had power over the nobles, it was only with Raivis' support that she could begin to mend the rift her uncle had caused between the villagers and the castle-folk. She might have the nobles' allegiance, but Raivis, with his childish kindness, had their hearts.
"Anya?" Raivis sounded worried. "Did I say something bad?"
"It will take time," she said, "and they will not be persuaded in a day. There is so much mistrust, Raivis, that I am not sure things will be healed in our lives."
"Maybe not. But we can try, can't we, Anya? We can try together."
She remembered the first time she had ever seen him, just a few days old, remembered holding him close and thinking he should be King; he has the kindest eyes I've ever seen. No one in this castle is as kind as him, and he is just a baby.
This kingdom has been blessed with a generous king.
"Yes. We can try."
And her tears - tears that she should never have been allowed to shed, for it is an unspoken law that a monarch must never cry - were the greatest relief she could have asked for, as if she, too, had been freed from an invisible cage.
Toris had never seen Anya cry before, and now, with her holding Raivis and sobbing, he felt very out of place, as if he did not quite belong in this room, with these two cousins, a King and his advisor, who intended to change the world for good.
And in that good…where do I belong?
He did not want to stay there any longer, alone in his uncertainty, and there was one thing he knew of that must be done, one thing that he could set right. Yao must be told that he was free to go, free to leave his stifling cell, to begin the search for his children. And so his feet led him to Yao's room, and when he had opened the door, he found Yao waiting for him, honeyed eyes holding no judgment and no fear, but only kindness and understanding.
"What happened, Toris?"
"They're…" He would not cry, he decided. He was done with crying. No matter what happened to him, no matter where he had to go once all of this was over, he would face it without crying. He was done with weakness, and that forevermore.
"Raivis has asked that the law be changed. All slaves are to be freed. It…it won't happen right away, but…after you find your children, you'll be free to go home. You're free to go now. You can walk out of here right now, and no one will stop you."
"And what about you, Toris?" Yao's voice was gentle. "Are you free to walk out of this castle, or are you still locked in a cage?"
"I…I don't…"
He'd realized, listening to Anya, that an example would be needed. If all the slaves were to be freed, then the King's slaves must first leave, to set an example. And that would mean that he could not stay at the castle, not now. Maybe in time, after the law had been set in stone, and all the slaves had been replaced with free workers, he could return. But for a time, he would have to go.
I don't know where I'll go from here. Unlike Eduard, Matthew, and most of the other slaves…there's nowhere for me to go back to.
"There's no cage. I'm as free as any of you. I can leave here whenever I want - and I'll have to, soon. There's no cage here for me anymore."
"I think," said Yao, "that only a part of your cage has been damaged, and that it may take time for someone to pry the bars apart enough for you to squeeze out of it. Your cage goes beyond the physical, as I said before."
"Then…who's going to pry those bars apart? I don't think it can be done from inside."
"No," Yao said, "it cannot be done from inside, or, at least, not without someone on the outside handing in the tools. I am not sure if I possess every tool that you will need to carve the bars apart, to set yourself free from your fear of the unknown…but I will certainly try, if that is what you want."
"But you're going home…"
"And you, who have nowhere to go to, are leaving the castle. You could come with me, at least for a time. Perhaps, in our travels, you will find a family of your own. And if not, there is room in my house for you, and for whomever else we may find on our way." Yao smiled softly, encouragingly. "The choice is yours, Toris, but I would be honored to have you with me. There are too few kind people in this world, and I think…I think your kindness will be even richer, once you have fully escaped this cage of yours."
He kept his promise to himself, and did not cry, but when Yao stood, came to him, wrapped his arms around him and held him there, he found himself struggling for words, for breath. And yet, he felt safer than he had in all his life before.
Look, I only killed one person and it was for backstory purposes. A miracle just happened here. Also I managed to keep Eduard from taking over the story, aren't you proud?
Anywayyyy, happy birthday to Yasumi! *throws confetti*