Happy birthday to me! Happy birthday to me! Happy birthday, I'm not dead yet, Happy birthday to me!

And thanks to you, this story, only at chapter 10 already has 40 reviews! Thank you guys so much! You're awesome!

Anyway, it's late and I'm tired, so...

Anywho, on with the show!

Disclaimer- If I get 5 reviews today, I'll put up an extra chapter! (I'm shamelessly soliciting Reviews and I don't even care...

Chapter 10

It was nearing six in the evening and everyone was tired from standing all day. The crowd sat as Ivan was taken to say goodbye. Alfred was his guard, but stood far enough back to allow his privacy. Alfred took him to his seat, Arthur on the other side as Lukas went to say his final goodbyes. They traded spaces so Arthur could continue, followed by Mattie, Madeline and Francis, the final one up being Lovino and Feliciano who shared a turn. Everyone was a little perturbed as Feliciano leaned over and kissed her cheek gently. When he turned to his brother, he erupted into sobs, Lovino nearly holding him up before another man that Alfred had yet to see ran up and helped take him back to his seat.

The leader of the local church came up and spoke about the circle of life, and how the queen could now join with the goddess. She was free to fly and float, to grow with the trees and speak to the animals. She was now a part of the spirit of the earth, and Alfred felt a warmth in his heart, but couldn't quite explain it. He heard a soft voice whisper in his ear. "Thank you." He looked around, but couldn't find the source of the voice.

After the Eulogy Ivan stood at the exit, giving thanks to the attendees, lords and bakers alike. The hall slowly emptied before the doors were closed and Ivan turned back to his mother's coffin, going to say one final farewell before she was taken to the crypt.

Everyone made their way to the dining hall where they ate a little quieter than they were used to, but Ivan just sat and stared, a bit dazed from the funeral. He'd spent the whole day in the room with his mother for the last time, but he was barely even able to see her. Tears came to his eyes and he was surprised to find a warm hand over his on the table and glanced up, finding Alfred watching him with worry. "You should eat to keep your strength up." He spoke quietly, surprised when Ivan's eyes lead down to his chest.

"Where did that come from?" He asked and Alfred glanced down, finding a pendant around his neck. It was an amethyst point with the symbol for the goddess carved intricately into the side. Vines and leaves wrapped the length of the stone and Alfred stared at it surprised.

"I don't know." He leaned back and lifted the necklace. "I've never seen it."

"I have." Lovino stared, a soft smile coming to his face. "It's a thing with elves, sometimes at funerals, if the dead deem us worthy, they'll give us a gift as they depart." Lovino reached into his shirt and pulled out a pendant that looked very similar, but his mouth turned to a frown when he saw it.

"She knew how much I hate emerald! Sheesh!" Lovino laughed as Feliciano reached into his own shirt and pulled out a similar point, made of hematite.

"She told me to keep smiling." Feliciano smiled before sighing. His eyes traveled up to Alfred and he frowned, staring for a moment. "You look familiar."

"I should." Alfred laughed, surprising a few in the room, jarring the somber feeling everyone had. "I called you master for ten years and you don't even remember my face?"

"Goodness!" Feliciano jolted up, running over and staring, grasping his chin and turned his face in soft hands. "You weren't joking when you said you'd take care of him, were you?" Feliciano looked up to Ivan with a smile. "I'm glad to see you're doing so much better! And smiling and such as you are! Thank goodness!" He almost looked to be in tears again as Alfred sighed.

"We've had enough tears for one day. Let's try and lift spirits, shall we?" His eyes shifted over to Arthur. "Without alcohol." He glared as Arthur and Lukas looked down, guilt apparent and Ivan watched before smiling, a light chuckle escaping his throat.

"Thank you." Ivan spoke softly as he stood, finally grabbing something to eat.

Half an hour later Ivan, Alfred, Francis, Lovino and Feliciano climbed into the tub. Alfred was a little disappointed Arthur couldn't attend, but he and Lukas had to go do some security checks on the castle after having the house open all day.

"I never would have guessed you were an elf." Feliciano spoke with a happy voice as he slid into the water. "You don't look it."

"I don't, but I have no complaints. I found my twin brother and my younger sister and discovered an older brother all living in this castle. Ivan has been terribly kind to me. I really enjoy being here." Alfred smiled, watching as Ivan smiled back and Feliciano cheered more.

"After discovering the situation with you guys I was terrified. I honestly had no idea that you were being treated that way." Feliciano looked up with worry evident on his brow. "Do you hate me for that?"

"No." Alfred didn't even have to think about it. "You weren't aware. We weren't allowed to speak or we faced having our tongues cut out. We weren't allowed to inform anyone else or we faced lashes. Our fear was our own worst problem. We were more afraid of discovery than of the treatment. Honestly, you did what was best, at least for me, after finding out. There's nowhere in the world I'd rather be." Alfred sighed, feeling the warmth from the tub soak into his body, releasing tension in his muscles and causing him to relax.

"The only question I have left, why do you call His Majesty by his name?" Feliciano asked as Alfred smiled.

"That's what he told me to call him, and that's what I'll continue to call him unless he changes his mind." Alfred glanced across at Ivan, who watched him through this whole interaction with a smile.

"Are you really this happy to be here?" He asked after a moment and Alfred nodded, a bright smile coming to his face.

"I'm comfortable. People teach me things and I have friends and family here. They don't treat me as if I were stupid, even though I feel it most of the time. I can't imagine a better place. I really do enjoy it here." He watched as Ivan nodded, relaxing a little.

"I'm glad to hear it." Ivan watched as Alfred leaned back, a slight sigh escaping him.

"So..." Lovino sighed, leaning back, turning to Alfred. "Did you hear a voice when you got the necklace?"

"I think it's possible. I don't know when I got the necklace, but about a quarter of the way through the eulogy I heard someone say 'Thank you', but I couldn't figure out who."

"She thanked you?!" Feliciano stared, surprised. "You must have really impressed her since you got here! She didn't even meet you in life! What an honor!"

"She told me to keep you two out of trouble. I'm pretty sure I'm fucked." Lovino sighed, glaring between the other two elves and Francis chuckled.

"No need to be so negative, Mon chere, We'll take care of Alfred for you."

"He's not the one I'm worried about." Lovino looked over at Feliciano, who grinned up at him with a guilty look in his eyes as Francis started giggling.

"Isn't it a little early to be that drunk?" Ivan asked and Francis shrugged, a sappy smile graced him.

"It's all relative, Mon Seigneur. What's too early for me is still too late for an alcoholic, non? I just needed to ease the edge, so to speak. It was a hard day for us." Francis sighed, the smile he'd shown just moments before slipping into oblivion. "It's still just hard to believe."

"Da, it is. I'm sad she's gone." Ivan spoke with clarity. "I am also happy she lived. She told me of Alfred's coming, though I doubted her at the time. I wish I could have told her she was right."

Francis, after remembering exactly what the prophesy had said stared with awe. "So you believe her, that he is all she said he is?"

"To me he is, and that's all that matters." Ivan smiled at Alfred, who blushed a little under the gazes of those around the tub.

As Ivan pulled himself from the tub, Alfred noticed his shoulders slumped, and though he'd just been smiling, it was wiped from his face the instant his back was to the others. Alfred slid on his robe and followed him to the rooms, sighing as they reached the door. "And they called me a good actor." Ivan turned, worry and sadness showing so horribly in his expression Alfred almost felt bad for calling him out on it.

"Was I that obvious?" His voice sounded croaky, as if he were about to cry and Alfred shook his head.

"Not to anyone else." He watched as Ivan nodded and turned towards his door. "Do you want me to keep you company tonight? No drunken questions, I promise." Alfred watched as Ivan turned to him and nodded, keeping his voice quiet.

They walked into Ivan's room and Alfred discovered his clothes for the next day laid out on Ivan's dresser and stared before remembering Lovino saying he'd be staying in Ivan's room that night. He couldn't help but chuckle as he walked in and crawled over the bed, laying down on the far side so Ivan wouldn't have to. It was the same side of the bed he'd slept on the night before, Alfred realized and couldn't help but wonder if this was going to become a habit. As Ivan laid down Alfred snuggled in beside him, laying his head on Ivan's shoulder, as Ivan's arm wrapped around him. It was only moments til they were asleep.

The next morning was groggy for the both of them. Ivan was still depressed and tired from the funeral, while Alfred just seemed to not be able to get enough energy to pull himself from the bed. Ivan stood and dressed, only partially awake before realizing Alfred was still asleep and laid his hand on his shoulder to wake him to hear a soft voice. "Please..." Alfred whispered, shivering and Ivan frowned, pressing his hand to his forehead, but there was no abnormality. Ivan frowned, wondering if it was a nightmare and sighed as a knock sounded at the door and as Ivan turned, Alfred screamed, jumping from the bed and crawled straight back, off the bed and into the corner, covering his head. Ivan turned as Madeline ran in from the scream and looked around, seeing Alfred's head and she rushed over, hugging him and trying to coax him into looking around to discover he was safe and Alfred shook as he did so, his eyes wide, his bottom lip quivering before he grasped onto Madeline and sobbed for a moment before collecting himself. He wiped his eyes and stood, still a bit bleary as she pointed out his clothes and excused herself, only having come by to make sure they hadn't missed breakfast.

Ivan watched as Alfred slid the robe from his shoulders, looking over the scars on his back. "Your scars, do they ever hurt?" He asked and Alfred shrugged, not really having though over it.

"Not really. They can burn sometimes if I hit my back on something, but I haven't really noticed much." He turned, seeing Ivan's eyes on his back before Ivan looked up to his face.

"They say an overabundance of scars show you were strong when you needed to be. If that's true, you must be the strongest person I know." He spoke softly and Alfred nearly laughed at that. Ivan stared, not really having heard such an open, happy sound from the man before. He couldn't help but smile as Alfred slid on his shirt.

"I wouldn't say that. There are many things in my life I haven't understood, or haven't had to live through. Many things that they say make or break the strongest man I'll never experience because I already lived through them, but was too broken to understand." He spoke. Ivan only made a throaty sound, one in understanding and Alfred sighed as he turned. "Do I look alright?"

"You look fine. What are you, a woman?" Ivan laughed and Alfred looked down with a light blush.

"I don't want anyone thinking your guards are shabby. It would look badly upon you if I don't' look my best." Alfred stated and Ivan stared, a little surprised that Alfred was thinking of so much.

"That's a very interesting view of things. My advisers normally don't even question their own appearances. It's a bit refreshing to hear someone is taking the position so seriously." Ivan watched as Alfred looked back up into his eyes and a soft smile graced him as he nodded.

Ivan and Alfred made it down to breakfast and they each continued their conversation as everyone else watched them, a little surprised to see such happy banter first thing in the morning after a funeral. They spoke in depth of what Alfred felt was the proper way to describe his job, what it entailed, other aspects of the position that Ivan hadn't even thought of.

Francis watched with amusement as Feliciano leaned over and smiled. "Looks like they're getting along quite well!"

"They're in love with each other, but neither wants to admit it to the other." Francis whispered and Feliciano turned, surprised. "It's a bit sad, but it's cute." Francis turned, winking before his eyes turned back to Arthur and Lukas, who were chatting about drills that needed to be ran with the army later. Lukas' eye turned to the men currently talking about propriety in conversation and decided to completely bypass anything that they were speaking of.

"Alfred, you should join us on drills! It'll be good exercise, and it'll introduce you to the men! It would be a good idea, in case you need to command them, to know them a little." Lukas watched as Alfred turned and frowned before glancing up at Ivan.

"That is a good idea. I'll join you as well." Ivan watched as Lukas stared, a bit surprised.

"Are you sure, your highness? It's not going to be as entertaining for you."

"I'm not going for entertainment. I haven't trained with the men in a while. It'll be nice to test my strength after so long. I've probably gotten weak, sitting in that chair." Ivan sighed and Lukas shot Arthur a terrified glance. Arthur tried to hide a laugh as Lukas sighed and consented, glancing over to Lovino who's dark glare didn't comfort him in the slightest.

"Why do I have a feeling I'm really going to need your help today?" Lukas turned back to Arthur, who frowned and shook his head.

"I'm to be helping to train Matthew today. I can't assist."

"Maybe you can train him hear the training grounds? I have an odd feeling Matthew can be of assistance as well. He's been trained in most medical situations, correct?" Lukas asked, his eyes drifting to Lovino, who gave him a curt nod and he couldn't help but sigh.

"Yes, it was some of the first work he was taught."

"Good. Bring him as well." Lukas sighed as Ivan stared, surprised.

"What is this all about? Don't tell me you want extra assistance in case I'm injured." Ivan watched as Lukas turned to him, an expression mixed between anger and surprise.

"The last time you came out to train with the men I lost two of them and five quit! I still have a guard that has nightmares you're chasing after him!"

"So you're really strong then?" Alfred asked with a smile and Ivan turned to him and smiled, nodding.

"Apparently. I wasn't aware I was this known for it, though!" He laughed as Lukas shook his head.

That's it for today! Leave a review and let me know what you think!

See you tomorrow for the next chapter, Unless I get 5 reviews!

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