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Chapter Four
The man found Daegan in his chambers trying to wrap his head around the fact that he had just purchased a human being. Not a servant in his employ but a piece of property that he owned. What must Conall think of him? He groaned in frustration. He was by nature a self-centered, ambitious man to whom image was everything. He supposed he had chosen the lesser of two evils - it was plain the slavers were going to kill the boy - and he comforted himself with the thought that this would please Justin. He hoped to convince the artisan to paint another large gryphon in - possibly the main dining hall - he hadn't really decided. He had been quite pleased by the one Justin had painted in the great hall.
The servant gave a slight bow to him. "Beg pardon, Master, but Lachlan respectfully requests, uh, he was wondering if you could - ." The man knew he was making a mull of it. "There is something that you need to see," he finished in a rush.
"This concerns Merlin-?"
"Yes," the servant said, relieved.
Moments later, Daegan stood silently beside the guest bed looking at the young man's battered body. He had been stripped of his clothing, and a woman servant was washing him carefully with a damp cloth. "How long do you think the slavers had possession of him before I, uh, purchased him?" he asked Lachlan.
"Not long enough to have done all of this damage," his servant replied grimly.
"No," Daegan agreed. He was beginning to suspect Prince Arthur of being a cruel and brutal man, and somewhat to his surprise decided he no longer cared what Conall thought. It may have been unorthodox but he had done the right thing. Merlin's blue eyes were drooping, half-closed, and he wondered what, if anything, was registering.
"Merlin?" Daegan said, "You're safe here. No one is going to hurt you." To the woman: "Have you given him any medicine or a sleeping draught since he was brought here?"
"No, nothing," the woman replied.
"Good," Daegan said, "I need to speak with him when he's more lucid. And find some warm clothing for him. Raid my wardrobe if necessary." He turned and left the room.
~§~
Daegan sat in a chair beside the bed, having recently been told by a servant that his unexpected guest/newly acquired slave seemed more aware. He shook his head at himself. He hoped he wasn't turning into one of those nauseatingly pious do-gooders. He would make the young man work off the price he'd paid - not that he cared about the money - but it would serve the dual purpose of keeping him here until Justin came (thus currying favor with the artisan) and delaying his return to the clutches of Prince Arthur.
He waited until his servants had eased the young man into an old robe of his before he spoke. Merlin was watching him with stoic concentration in his deep blue eyes.
"Merlin? I know you're feeling kinda crap right now, but I need to talk with you," Daegan said. He waited until the young man nodded. "Do you remember me?" Brief pause. "Justin's cousin?"
"Yes. You had the firebird." He shifted his body trying and failing to find a more comfortable position. He winced in pain.
"Which Lionel and Prince Arthur stole from me," Daegan replied, still piqued. He took a deep breath and waved a hand in the air to dismiss the statement. Let it go, he told himself. "Well, that's neither here nor there. Do you remember what happened to you?"
"Yes, I was trying to help some people, and they sold me to slave traders," the raven-haired young man replied bitterly. He swallowed a groan. Every part of his body hurt. He thought his hair even hurt.
"A good deed never goes unpunished," Daegan quoted with a small, humorous look. "Anyway, you're here. At Drachenfels. And you're safe. No one here will hurt you."
"How did you get me away from the slave traders?" Merlin asked.
"Um, well, this part's a bit awkward."
Merlin regarded him with a fascinated expression. "You didn't buy me?"
"Um, well, yes."
"I'm your slave?" the young man asked.
"Well, technically I suppose, but when you're feeling better you can work off the purchase price."
"How much did you pay?" Merlin asked. The older man told him. "That's all? That's kind of insulting."
Daegan decided that the young man wasn't strong enough to be told that the slavers intended to kill him.
"What kind of work will I be doing?" Merlin asked.
"You can rearrange and organize the books in my library. It badly needs attention." Daegan felt all three servants still in the room looking at him. He made a mental note to himself to have several servants mess up his meticulously arranged library.
~§~