a/n: Seriously, thanks for all the reviews, favorites, and alerts! They keep me motivated!

Disclaimer: Hetalia: Axis Powers does not belong to me.

Chapter 2: Warning Signs

He knew that Yao would come back to see him, so he wasn't surprised to hear the door to his study open.

"I trust that the slave is well?"

"Yes, he is. I just left him in his room." He stood before Ivan, watching his every stroke as he wrote. Ivan continued to write. Yao huffed and sat on the edge of Ivan's desk, something he knew irritated Ivan. Ivan stopped writing for a second, but then continued, albeit a bit slower than before.

"Why?" he asked curiously, looking down at Ivan work.

Ivan smiled, but Yao seemed unfazed. He knew that Yao would question his decision. He stopped his writing and eyed his friend sternly. "I didn't take him because of the lyrium."

Yao arched his brow, but didn't comment.

"I'm not so petty," he growled. "Sadik was not lying about the senate going into an uproar over his… my slave." A look of distaste passed his face at the word. He clasped his hands on the table, and eyed Yao. "Come, even you know how the Magisters act when one of them gets a hold of something exotic or rare."

"Like beast." He admitted.

Ivan nodded his head in agreement. "If it's not the ongoing fight with the Qunari, it's the threat of a revolt in the senate… If I must take a slave to prevent infighting between the Magisters, then I will." He leaned back in his chair, the ends of his lips curled into a smirk. "The lyrium markings on his body are just a plus."

Yao nodded, folding his arms across his chest. "I haven't called a healer. Seeing as he is your slave, I was hoping you would give me permission to be in charge of his health."

"Taken an interest in him?"

"As a patient." He looked thoughtful as he continued speaking, "Did you know that he's blind?" Ivan nodded, unfazed by the information.

"Sadik mentioned it." Ivan looked pensively at the documents before him, "You and your obsession with elves." Yao spluttered at the comment, and Ivan's smirk transitioned to an innocent smile. "It's fine with me."

"Damn Magisters…" Yao had wanted to go see Alfred in the morning, but there was a duel between two Magisters, and both had killed one another. It was a mess, and Ivan had called on him to deal with the matter, as he had an emissary from Ferelden waiting to see him. As soon as the matter had been dealt with, Yao had run across one end of the palace toward the other end, where the guest rooms where located.

He greeted the guards and entered the room briskly. He smiled and then frowned as he found the room blanketed in darkness. The curtains were still drawn, and Alfred was nowhere to be seen. "Shit." He was about to run out of the room, and yell at the guards when he spotted something in the corner of the room. "Alfred?" he called out hesitantly, as he approached the corner.

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank the Maker." He neared Alfred, who was sleeping against the wall. His back resting against the wall, his head bowed down, wheat-blonde hair covering his face. He turned from the elf and looked at the bed. Why wasn't he sleeping on the bed? He glanced from the bed back to Alfred, eyeing the sleeping elf. From his position it didn't look as if the boy was injured, but he couldn't be sure. He looked at the exposed skin, following the metallic markings as they trailed down Alfred's body. What sick bastard would do this to another person? As he continued to follow trail after trail of the markings, he noticed that Alfred had very light lyrium markings running through his pointed ears, even through his eyes.

As he watched him, Alfred awoke. Yao tensed as Alfred slowly sat up properly. He slowly rubbed his eyes, and looked about the room confused. "Why is the floor so soft?" he muttered. Yao stayed silent and motionless, as Alfred attempted to regain his bearings.

A harsh groan filled the room as Alfred buried his face in his hands, suddenly remembering what had transpired. "Fuck…"

Yao coughed, deciding that he had gone unnoticed long enough. Alfred sprang from the floor, his body tense, and the markings on his body lightly glowing. "Whose there?"

"Easy," Yao placed his hands in front of him, his voice gentle. "I'm not here to hurt you. I'm Yao, we met yesterday. I took you to your room."

Alfred nodded slowly, his body relaxing slightly, and the glow of the lyrium disappearing. Yao watched in fascination. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I'm Yao, the Archon's personal healer."

"You're a mage?"

"Yes, I'm a jack of all trades, but I'm particularly skilled as a Spirit Healer." He smiled, and sat down on Alfred's bed. "That's actually why I'm here. I'm personally going to be in charge of your health."

Alfred crossed his arms, looking annoyed at the prospect of someone personally attending to his wellbeing. "If it's about my eyes, they've already been checked. Some Magister took a look at them." He closed his useless eyes and tilted his head to the side. "Apparently she was the best in her field too."

"They've already been examined?" Yao asked surprised. "By a female Magister, correct?" Alfred nodded. "Hmn, I think it might have been Magister Elizabeta, she is skilled in the healing arts."

"Well, don't waste your time, mage." He spit out the word angrily. "She said it was damn near impossible to fix my eyes. Seeing as Sadik got rid of me, I'm guessing she was right."

"I'll be the judge of that. Like I said, I'm a Spirit Healer, I'm on a whole other level of magic than Magister Elizabeta." He stood, and approached the door. "I want to examine your eyes, come on, I'll guide you to my infirmary."

Spirit Healer: While healing spells do exist, spirit healers are well-known for taking healing and restoration far beyond a standard mage's capabilities. In effect, the spirit healer summons a benevolent spirit through the veil and that spirit uses its abilities on the mage's behalf, mending flesh and healing disease.

Veil: A metaphysical barrier between the mortal realm and the Fade. Neither spirits nor mortal beings can easily pass physically through the Veil, but the consciousness of mortal dreamers easily does so.

Alfred licked his lips anxiously. He wasn't fond of mages, Creators, why did he have to be a slave in the Tevinter Imperium? He approached Yao slowly, and mentally cringed when Yao grabbed his wrist, the lyrium markings throbbing at the contact. Yao froze, his eyes travelling down to where his hand was gripping Alfred's wrist. He swallowed nervously as he felt lyrium entering his body. He felt himself slowly becoming rejuvenated, and his body seeming lighter then when he had first entered the room. He didn't know what to say, and judging from how tense Alfred's body had become, he wouldn't be receiving an answer. He steeled himself and continued to hold Alfred's wrist as he walked toward his infirmary.

The walk to the infirmary was silent and uncomfortable for both Yao and Alfred. He would occasionally glance at Alfred and quickly look away, as If Alfred could even see him. "Andraste guide me," he muttered to himself.

Alfred was more than thankful when they finally reached the infirmary. The walk had been awkward to say the least. Yao released his wrist, without questioning what had happened, and opened the infirmary door, ushering Alfred in.

The first thing he noted was the smell. He scrunched his nose as the stench of alcohol assaulted his senses. Yao chuckled as he watched Alfred. Everyone made the same face when they entered the room. "It's alcohol you smell, it's to clean the wounds when I have to operate on the more serious wounds."

"Smells like a laboratory."

"A laboratory?" Yao looked at Alfred suspiciously. "How would you know what a laboratory smells like?"

Alfred shrugged, looking nonchalant as he stood before Yao's scrutinizing gaze. "It's what Sadik's laboratory smelled like." He bit his lip, his voice lowering as he continued, "I spent a lot of time in that room, I just assumed that's what all laboratories smelled like."

"Oh."

Yao could smack himself. Of course he would know what a laboratory would smell like. Sadik clearly had experimented on the elf. "A-anyway, just take a seat on the table. It's to your right." Alfred walked towards it. He sat on the edge, running his hand on the surface. It's cold… did snow feel like this?

"Where you blind born?"

The question startled him, he looked to where he assumed Yao stood. It took a moment for Alfred to register what he had said. "Is that what Sadik told you?" he laughed darkly, and Yao looked stunned at the sound. It sounded full of malice. In fact, it sounded just like Ivan's laugh. He looked disturbed at the thought.

"No, I just assumed…" he sighed. Maker, this elf was not making it easy.

A bitter smile graced Alfred's face, and he spoke in a slightly strained voice. "I got him mad." He crossed his arms, and closed his eyes. "More mad than usual. My punishment consisted of…" his voice trailed off. He licked his chapped lips nervously. "Of many things. That bastard had a thing for hurting my eyes."

"So, you're not overly fond of your former master, I take it?"

"Is any slave?"

Yao didn't respond. From what he had seen from other slaves, yes, they were indeed fond of their masters. No matter how they were treated, they believed that it was their master's right to treat them in any way they choose. Slavery did crazy things to people's minds, Yao assumed that was true for all slaves. Maybe it was because this slave was Dalish, that he differed in the pattern? The Dalish, after all, where all for freedom and independence.

He clicked his tongue, and smiled. "I'm going to check your eyes, see if there's anything that I can do." Alfred bit his lip, and his brow furrowed.

"You're going to use magic, right?"

"Yes."

His face contorted into barely contained anger, the markings on his body lightly glowing. "You're just gonna check my eyes, nothing else, right?"

"I wouldn't abuse my position," he said aghast at the accusation.

Alfred raised a brow at the comment. "Wherever, let's just get this over with."

"I'm just going to check your eyes, I swear," he said, as he approached Alfred. His fingers lightly touched Alfred's face, his fingers gently enveloping Alfred's eyes. Yao breathed deeply, focusing beyond Alfred's milky eyes, to the thin complex nerves underneath the flesh.

Alfred cringed as he felt Yao's magic enter his eyes. He hated the feeling. He sat awkwardly on the table, his head facing Yao. He didn't trust him, but if he didn't let him do this now he suspected that Yao would pester him until he did. He bit his lower lip as the pressure on his eyes grew. Alfred felt Yao's fingers tighten around his eyes as the pressure on his nerves increased. He gritted his teeth, and his hands clenched on the edge of the table, but Yao didn't stop. Alfred gasped, the pain becoming too much, and grasped Yao's robes blindly. Alfred's mind went blank to all else but the pain. He felt the pressure decrease, but it wasn't enough. He buried his head in the fabric. It was soft and furry, and Creators, it felt nice. Why couldn't he feel like this all the time?

Alfred breathed heavily against Yao, who looked down at Alfred guiltily. Hadn't he said that he was just going to check Alfred's nerves? Andraste guide him… he saw the damaged nerves and got excited. He knew that he could help, knew that it was within his skills to bring some of Alfred's sight back. "I'm sorry," he whispered. He awkwardly hugged Alfred, not sure if that was the proper thing to do. He certainly wouldn't want to be hugged by someone who hurt him, but looking at Alfred he couldn't help it. So what if he had a soft spot for elves? He liked cute things, he couldn't help it. And the elven population just happened to all look cute, even their warriors…

Alfred didn't respond to his words, simply buried his head further into Yao's emerald robes. It wasn't that he couldn't speak, it was that he didn't trust his voice to stay steady. He hadn't felt pain like that since, well, Sadik. He inhaled slowly, trying to calm his nerves. Slowly he noticed the smell of, cinnamon? Yes, he was certain it was cinnamon. Oddly the smell comforted him. His body relaxed against Yao, who was surprised, but didn't say anything. Yao was fairly certain that Alfred hated mages, or at least had some trust issues with them if their previous conversation was anything to go by. Slowly Alfred removed himself from Yao, and rubbed his eyes slowly. "You said you were only going to check my eyes," he accused.

Yao flinched, and nodded his head, immediately he realized his error and cursed. "I got excited," he confessed. "I can help. It'll take time, but I know that I can bring some of your sight back."

Alfred rubbed his eyes tiredly. He didn't need to see to know that Yao was beaming, he could hear it in his voice. "Well I be able to see clearly?" he asked, trying to keep the hope out of his voice, but failing.

Yao's smile faulted. The damage was extensive. When Alfred said that Magister Sadik enjoyed damaging his eyes, he wasn't kidding. "You'll be able to see. But I don't think that I'll be able to give you perfect vision." He saw Alfred's shoulders sag, and he hastily added, "But it'll be better than what you see now."

Alfred nodded, Blight it all, anything was better than seeing shadows for people. But he had to trust a mage. Trust a mage not to screw him up any further. It was terrifying thought. He didn't know a thing about Yao, or for that matter, his new Master. He frowned. Would this new master expect the same out of him as Sadik? He shivered. He couldn't do it again, it was demeaning. Damn it all!

Yao watched Alfred, confusing his inner turmoil for pain. "Are you alright?" he asked, genuinely concerned. Alfred nodded.

"Just tired," he lied lamely.

Yao looked at him skeptically. He looked at Alfred and noted that he looked flushed. Was he coming down with a cold? His eyes moved from Alfred's face to the lyrium tattoos on his body. They were glowing earlier… was that normal? Truth be told, he had no clue. Sadik had yet to send the documents relating to his experiments on Alfred to Ivan.

He opened his mouth, determined to get some information on what the hell had happened earlier in Alfred's room. "Hey, Al—"

There was an abrupt knock at his door, Yao grumbled at the distraction. "Come in," he muttered. A young woman entered the room, looking quite shaken, and glancing nervously at Alfred.

"The Archon requests your presence. He says it's important, Sir." Yao nodded. Damn, that was unexpected. He sighed, and eyed her warily. The day was barely halfway done and he was exhausted. The only con to being a Spirit Healer was the strain on your body. He would get a lyrium potion later, he decided.

"Did he mention if I was to come alone?"

"Yes, he doesn't want y-you to bring hi—," she cut herself off, and nervously eyed Alfred.

"Very well. I'll be there soon. You're dismissed." No sooner where the words out, that the woman was gone. Odd, usually the staff stayed a bit after delivering their message to discuss whatever nonsensical thing with him.

"Is she another slave?" Alfred asked curiously.

"Don't be ridicules, the Archon doesn't keep slaves," he said automatically. No sooner had the words left his mouth that he registered what he had said. Maker, what was he thinking?

"What does that make me then?" Alfred asked coolly, his voice suddenly sounding dark.

Yao was silent, he approached Alfred, and sat next to him on the table, leaning forward on his knees. "What I meant to say," he gestured wildly with his hand, "is that Ivan didn't use to own slaves." He glanced at Alfred and sighed. "You're a slave, the first slave he's ever owned, and truthfully, I'm not exactly sure what were supposed to do with you.

"When Ivan became Archon of the Tevinter Imperium, he changed how things worked. While he didn't outright ban slavery, he stopped it in the palace. Everyone who works here is a servant. They all get paid. He's not a fool, he knows that banning slavery in Tevinter would result in numerous assassination attempts, a previous Archon attempted to ban slavery, and he only lasted ten days in his reign. As much as Ivan would like to see slavery gone, it can't be done. It's become an integral part of the empire."

"He sounds like he's a coward," Alfred countered. "Isn't this guy supposed to be the strongest mage in the empire?"

Yao laughed. By the Maker, owning a slave was going to be interesting. "You can say those things to me, but if you value your life, you shouldn't say that to Ivan. The senate may have varying opinions on him, but they all grudgingly acknowledge and respect his expertise in magic."

"You've heard of how Ivan became Archon, right?" he asked.

Alfred waved his hand dismissively. "Don't care."

He'd escorted Alfred back to his room, without touching him of course. He'd have to mention the incident with the lyrium markings to Ivan at some point during their discussion today.

He entered Ivan's study, surprised to see him crouched down in front of what seemed to be an elaborate chest.

"Have you seen to the elf?" Ivan asked, not once glancing up from the chest.

"Yes, I was actually with him when you sent for me," Yao said, as he approached Ivan. He stood near him, peering at the chest. It really was a beautiful chest, finally crafted, and adorned with various hues of blue jewels.

Yao's thoughts were interrupted by Ivan's voice. "One of Sadik's men brought this."

"Alfred's belongings?" he asked.

He didn't respond, merely opened the chest. The first things that greeted him was a jade necklace. It was a simple design, but its simplicity was what made it beautiful. Ivan pushed the item aside, and pulled out a broken broad sword. It was a hefty blade, but Ivan swung it effortlessly.

"That's a rather large blade," Yao remarked, slightly in awe of Ivan's strength. "Did Sadik mention what it was that Alfred did under his ownership?"

"His bodyguard, I thought he was making a joke," he said thoughtfully, carefully running his gloved finger on the broken ridges of the blade. He outstretched the blade to Yao, who took the weapon happily, but immediately the smile transitioned to a grimace as he struggled to hold the broken blade up. Ivan giggled childlike as Yao spoke, his voice strained.

"Alfred mentioned getting Sadik mad, that's the reason he lost his vision… happened during his punishment." He quickly placed the blade down, scowling at Ivan. "Anyway," he huffed, "do you think this has something to do with the sword being broken? He could have possibly messed up protecting him," he ventured.

Ivan nodded. "That might be it." He smiled, and Yao felt a shiver pass his body at the sight of it. No matter how well he knew Ivan, there were times were even he was scared by that smile. "That slave—Alfred, was it? He's deceptively strong, those elves are just full of surprises."

He turned from Yao and continued to rummage through the chest. He found a navy blue scarf, carefully folded, and tied by a very ornate necklace. It looked to be made from hundreds of wooden beads in the shape of various animals. "You mentioned that he was Dalish, correct?" Yao nodded, and Ivan once again inspected the necklace, removing it from the scarf. He placed it in his pocket, and resumed his search of the chest.

Almost immediately the atmosphere in Ivan's study changed. Yao watched warily as Ivan pulled a choker from the chest. It was gaudy, covered in numerous jewels and seemed to be made of gold. His eyes narrowed as he spotted spikes in the inside of the choker. Ivan placed it down, returning to the chest and pulling out a circlet similar to design to that of the choker.

Yao picked the choker up, his suspicions confirmed. "A Fade blocker… why would he have this?" he questioned.

Ivan took the circlet with him, and sat at his desk, inspecting it with a gentle smile gracing his lips. He lightly touched the small spikes inside the circlet, dry blood met his gloved finger, coating the material in crimson flakes. "I don't believe that my slave is aware of this chest."

Yao looked to him, confused. "Then whose is it?"

"Sadik's."

Yao glanced at the choker in his hands, recalling how Alfred had relaxed against him as he buried his face against his robe. But it didn't make sense… Alfred didn't like mages, but these objects brought up an interesting discovery. "He's a mage," he said, shocked.

Ivan nodded, his grip on the beaded necklace tightening. "What better way to control someone, than controlling their identity." He laughed, the noise echoing against the walls. "Sadik truly is a formidable ally." He leaned back on his chair, smiling at Yao. "Don't tell my little elf about this chest."

Yao nodded, his head rushing with this new information. He bit his lip in worry. Right now would be the best time to tell Ivan what he had found out about Alfred, wouldn't it? "Actually, Ivan, there's something I have to tell you about Alfred…"

The discussion with Ivan had been interesting to say the least. Ivan had smiled the whole conversation. To say that he was concerned for Alfred was a bit of an understatement. Ivan had said that he had taken Alfred to avoid fighting, but now Yao wasn't so sure that was the real reason. Was Ivan even into men? He'd known Ivan since childhood, they'd grown up together, but he'd never even seen Ivan truly take an interest in anyone. Yao knew that elves were favored over other slaves because of their beauty. He sighed, in the end there wasn't much he could do if Ivan took a sexual interest in Alfred. After all, Alfred belonged to Ivan.

Yao ran his hand through his hair in thought. Ivan had told him not to mention knowing that Alfred was a mage. He wouldn't, but it didn't stop him from being undeniably curious. If Alfred was a mage, why did he hate them? His train of thought stopped as he found himself in front of Alfred's room.

Yao knocked on the door, and entered the room. He looked about the room, and discovered Alfred in the same corner from earlier in the day.

Alfred turned his head to him and nodded. "The healer, right?"

He smiled, joy evident in his voice. "Yes." He approached Alfred, holding a tray full of food carefully. "I've brought you some dinner, here." He held the tray out to Alfred who didn't reach for it. Yao looked at Alfred surprised, why wouldn't he take the food? Of course, Sadik. Had he used food as a punishment? He had overheard other Magisters talking about withholding food from their slaves. He felt his blood boil at Ivan's newest friend.

"I'll just place this here," he said, placing the tray down near Alfred's legs, making sure that the tray touched them, so Alfred would know that he wasn't lying.

"I'll be by your room later tonight, I want to start working on your eyes," he announced.

That got Alfred's attention. His head snapped up, and his milky eyes widened. "You really think you can fix it?"

"Of course. I said I could earlier, didn't I?"

Alfred smiled at Yao's enthusiasm, forgetting for a moment that Yao was a mage. "Wait," his smile faltered, "will it hurt like last time?"

"I'm not sure," Yao confessed, he crossed his arms in thought. "In all likelihood it might hurt, your nerves are severely damaged."

Alfred bit his lip, not entirely happy with the situation.

"Oh," Yao clasped his hands loudly. "Ivan will be joining us. He wants to see how you're doing… he's highly interested in you." Alfred didn't respond. "I have a meeting to get to, so I'll see you later tonight, all right?"

He was back in his corner, waiting for Yao to show up. He lazily pushed the tray of food that Yao had brought him. It was surprisingly delicious, unfortunately he hadn't been able to eat it all. "Bastard…" he muttered in the darkness. Sadik would punish him often for no reason. Besides destroying his eyes, he enjoyed seeing how long Alfred could last without food. Often Sadik would trick him, making Alfred believe that his punishment was over, but at the last minute he would restrain him, the food inches from his fingers. Sadik wouldn't relent until Alfred was a crying mess, begging for food. He shivered at the memory, and pushed the tray of food away, the smell of seasoned meats and vegetables nauseating him.

Where the hell was Yao? Alfred angrily stood from his place in the corner of his room, pacing his room nervously. He had accidently fallen asleep waiting for time to pass. He didn't need to see to know that it was very late. While Alfred was indeed blind, he could still see shadowy blurs, albeit not very clearly, but enough to assume where objects or people where. "Jeez, he could have at least lit some torches before he left," he complained, after all, he couldn't discern shadows in a darkened world.

He paced the room, lost in thought he stumbled on his forgotten tray of food, and landed unceremoniously on his bed. He hadn't touched the bed since he was brought into the room, and why would he? The bed was out in the open, and whatever was lurking in the darkness could get him from any angle. At least in the corner whatever hid in the shadows could only get him from the front. What could he say, the darkness terrified him. He lightly rubbed his hand on the bed, enjoying the feel of cotton against his skin. He abruptly stopped, pulling his hand from the material as if it had burned him. "What the fuck am I doing?" he scrambled from the bed, returning to his place in the corner.

He shouldn't get used to this. What if this was a ploy? Yao being nice, the meals, and the unbelievably soft bed… what if Ivan was like Sadik? Was this some elaborate trick to make him look a fool? Worse, what if Ivan was like Sadik, would he get off on Alfred's pain?

He wouldn't let that happen. He'd put up more of a fight, after all, Sadik had that damn stone, Ivan didn't. He stood a chance this time. He closed his eyes warily, his thoughts drifting from Ivan to Yao. Yao was nice, but something about him was weird, then again it could all be a trick. Deciding that Yao was full of it for not following through on his promise, Alfred let his head fall back, resting against the corner of the wall.

No sooner had he decided to return to sleep that he felt an intense pain start at his chest, slowly creeping out to the rest of his body. He bit his lip instinctively, trying to keep from crying out in pain. "Nuh-ah! N-no, not now," he choked out. He hugged himself, burying his head into his arms. His lyrium markings began glowing, illuminating the room in a soft glow of ghostly-blue. Alfred's mind blanked all thoughts of Ivan and Yao disappeared, the only thing he could focus on was the pain. Tears fell from his eyes, and saliva trailed down from his mouth as stifled screams escaped his lips.

He awoke to someone touching him, instinctively he smacked the hand away. "It's me, Yao," he heard someone whisper calmly.

Alfred grunted, and attempted to relax against the wall. His body protested the action, and he thanked Mythal for not letting anyone see him break down earlier. "Your late," he grumbled, his voice slightly horse. Yao noticed but didn't comment.

Mythal: Mythal, the Protector, is the patron of motherhood and justice and leads the elven pantheon with her male counterpart, Elgar'nan. In elven legend, when Elgar'nan threw the sun out of the sky in vengeance for burning the earth to ashes, Mythal calmed him and helped him see that he was wrong. Elves will invoke Mythal's name when they require protection.

He had come in and noticed Alfred groaning, his body shaking from what he assumed was a nightmare. "Yes, sorry about that. There was an emergency that Ivan couldn't ignore." He smiled apologetically, sitting on the floor next to Alfred. "I said I would come for you later in the night, it's extremely late, but I wanted to keep my promise." He hesitated at his next words. "Still up for going to the infirmary to get started on your eyes?"

Alfred nodded dumbly, not really expecting Yao to explain himself to him. Creators only knew that Sadik and Muhammad never did. "Good," Yao laughed. He stood, and approached the door. As Alfred stood, Yao suddenly turned to him. "Oh, Ivan will be joining us."

"Just sit at the table, we'll get started quickly."

Alfred nodded, and approached the table. Preparing himself for the pain that would soon consume him. As if his body didn't hurt enough.

"So, is he here?" Alfred asked, slightly curious.

"No, when I left he was finishing up. He'll probably end up coming later," Yao responded.

Yao approached Alfred, noting that he looked pale and sickly. "Are you ready?"

"Of course," he smiled brightly, his voice filled with a confidence he didn't feel. "Let's do this."

Yao smiled, buying Alfred's act. His fingers sought out Alfred's eyes, his nails slightly digging into Alfred's creamy skin.

The feel of foreign magic entering his body always made Alfred nervous. But unlike other times, there was a legitimate reason to be nervous. This would hurt. He licked his lips nervously as he felt Yao apply more pressure onto his nerves. Alfred unconsciously griped the table, preparing himself for the pain to amplify.

It seemed that was the cue that Yao needed because at that moment there was a rush of magic entering his eyes. Alfred gasped, his grip on the table tightening.

So focused where Alfred and Yao that they didn't notice Ivan enter the room. Ivan knew better than to interrupt Yao when he was working, so he contented himself to watching Alfred. He wasn't lying when he told Yao that he took Alfred to avoid fighting. The Magisters were looking for any reason to discredit him. They weren't particularly happy with his budding alliance with Fereldan, or the fact that he had agreed to help the Grey Wardens return captured Fereldan refugees, who were being sold as slaves in the Tevinter Imperium.

Fereldan: A kingdom in southeastern Thedas.

Grey Wardens: An ancient organization of warriors of exceptional ability dedicated to fighting darkspawn in all of Thedas.

Ivan's eyes followed the trail of lyrium on Alfred's skin. He heard Alfred gasp in pain, and the ends of his lips curled into a slight smile. He wasn't a fool, he could see why Sadik was so possessive of this slave. The elf was very expressive from what he could tell from what Yao told him. It didn't hurt that he was pleasing to the eye.

Alfred's face contorted in pain as time ticked away. Creators, he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold out. It hurt. The taste of copper filled his mouth as he bit his tongue to keep from screaming, but he felt at his wits end.

Finally the pain spiked, and Alfred felt a searing white-hot pain erupt in his eyes. He screamed, smacking Yao's hands away from his face. The lyrium markings on his body glowed, and Alfred jerked from the table, gripping his eyes as he stumbled away from the table. A mixture of tears and blood spilled from his eyes. He was trembling, his body acting on instinct.

Yao watched, stunned.

Alfred inched his way toward Ivan, only stopping because his body gave in to the pain. Before his body hit the floor, Ivan caught him. He dragged Alfred back to the table, laying his body down harshly. "Care to explain what happened?"

"This happened last time," Yao muttered, running his hand through his hair. "His nerves are severely damaged, it only makes sense that they'll hurt like hell when they're being healed."

Yao let out a shaky breath, rummaging through one of his cabinets for some salve and gauze wrap. He carefully applied the salve, and wrapped Alfred's eyes guiltily. Ivan watched the whole process silently. Once Yao finished, he turned his attention back to the salves. Was there one that could numb pain? If not, he should make one…

Ivan turned his attention from Yao back to Alfred. "Very unexpected," he whispered to the unconscious elf. His lips quirked into a grin as he eyed the lyrium marking on Alfred. Taking advantage of Alfred's lack of consciousness, he happily touched them. His finger greedily ran down Alfred's neck to his clavicle, only stopping because Alfred's clothes got in the way. His fingers left Alfred's skin, and he expertly began to remove Alfred's shirt. "You're right," he directed toward Yao, "you can feel a rush of adrenaline just by touching these."

Yao stopped his search for a numbing salve at Ivan's words. He slowly turned, and found Ivan removing Alfred's clothes. He turned, blushing instantly. So he was right to suspect that Ivan was interested in Alfred, but Maker, he was still in the room! Couldn't Ivan wait until he left?

With the shirt removed, Ivan continued trailing Alfred's brandings, oblivious to Yao's unease. The metallic tendrils flowed down Alfred's clavicle, varying in width as they encompassed Alfred's chest. Ivan stopped his advancement as he noticed that the branding had a pattern. Over the area that housed Alfred's heart a large, fiery sun was displayed proudly. It seemed that all the marking passed through it. Ivan followed the trail from Alfred's chest down to his hips, were Alfred's clothes blocked his prying eyes. Ivan smiled, truly curious now. Where the markings all over Alfred's body?

"Um, I have to get some salves from my room," Yao interrupted, very uncomfortable. Ivan didn't even acknowledge him. Yao tried his best to leave the room discreetly.

Ivan placed the palm of his hand on Alfred's heart. The lyrium there throbbed against his skin, and he felt a rush as once again lyrium entered his body. He put more pressure against the tattoo, feeling the lyrium moving against his skin.

It was instantaneous. Alfred's body arched up at the contact. His mouth hung opened lewdly as he groaned loudly. Ivan felt his cheeks heat up at the noise. He slowly removed his hand, and eyed his slave with new eyes. He smiled, and patted Alfred's head. "This is going to be fun."

Alfred awoke sometime later, his head a jumbled mess of pain. He groggily rubbed his face in something far too soft. Where was he? He carefully got up, his stomach lurching at the action. Creators, he felt terrible. His hand slowly rose up to rub his eyes. "Did I get hammered last night?" he said to himself. That train of thought vanished as he felt the familiar feeling of gauze on his face.

"Oh, right." His hand fell from his face, and he sat on the bed dazed as he recalled why his eyes were covered. "Ugh, I made a Blighted mess of things," he muttered, as he pushed himself from what he assumed was his bed. He stumbled as he made his way toward his corner. "I hope Yao brings some food," he grumbled. Hopefully he would bring something he could keep down.

It seemed that just mentioning Yao's name would summon him, or at least that's what Alfred liked to imagine how it happened, as Yao did indeed enter his room, except he didn't have food with him.

"Ah, thank Andraste, you're awake!" Yao approached Alfred, smiling. "You collapsed a day ago," he explained.

Alfred had just opened his mouth when his stomach decided to speak for him. He flushed red from embarrassment, and Yao couldn't keep himself from chuckling. "I'll call a servant up later with food for you." The joy vanished from his voice at the next words. "Not to change topics, but can I check your eyes?"

Alfred grunted in approval, and Yao approached. He carefully placed his hands on Alfred's eyes, and let his magic enter the damaged nerves. Yao smiled, his hands leaving Alfred's face. "It's healing well. It'll take some time, but you'll be able to see eventually," he assured.

Alfred smiled, Creators, he'd be able to see again! "… Thank you," he whispered. "Never thought I'd thank a mage for anything."

"Heh," Yao blushed, damn, Alfred looked adorable when he smiled. He rubbed his neck sheepishly, looking away from him. His eyes landed on Alfred's bed, where he noticed something that definitely didn't belong to him. That was Ivan's cloak, there was no way he could mistake it. He walked toward the bed and inspected it.

The cloak was heavy, and Yao struggled to lift it. His hands opened the charcoal black material, exposing the crimson silk lining. His fingers ran down the crest in the center of the inside. There was no doubt whose crest that was. So this was where Ivan had left it… He had questioned him to its whereabouts, but Ivan wouldn't tell him.

"I doubt you noticed, but Ivan did show up that night," Yao suddenly announced.

Alfred blanched at the information. "He saw me?"

"Yes, in fact, he was the one who brought you back to your room."

"Great. That's just perfect," Alfred muttered miserably.

"Don't worry, you made quite the impression on him." He wasn't kidding, Alfred did make quite the impression on Ivan, unfortunately it probably wasn't the kind that Alfred wanted.

"Ivan personally assigned me to you," Yao placed the cloak back down, walking back toward Alfred. Yao smiled, clasping his hand on Alfred's shoulder. "We'll take it slow, but I hope you're ready. I'm going to make sure you see again. After all, those are Ivan's orders."

a/n: Thanks for reading. I have half of the next chapter done, so I should update sometime next week.