I think my time gone over the past week have killed off most of my readers. Nearly no reviews and my views have dropped by half. Now I'm all bummed out. I'll post two chapters right now to try and catch up a little, as time wasn't on my side four hours ago.

Anywho, on with the show!

Disclaimer- Headaches suck!

Chapter 21

They reached the castle just after noon, and thanks to Arthur sending ahead a message through his mirror, Matthew was able to tell the cooks to have food prepared for not only the king and his advisers, all seven of them returning, but for the troops as well. The troops came home to find roasted cows and pigs, many potatoes and other roasted vegetables and barrels upon barrels of ale. Ivan waved his advisers into the castle and sighed as he walked everyone into the dining area. Elizabeta looked around with a frown. She had a soft and happy looking face normally, with large green eyes. She was slender and fragile looking, though her attitude made the others wonder if she realized she was a woman. "It's a lot larger than the old castle." She spoke softly.

"It is! A huge castle like this is much more awesome for me anyway!" Gilbert spoke. He looked fairly young, twenty one or twenty two, which was odd with his shock white hair. His blood red eyes made Vladimir wonder if he was a vampire, as it was a trait passed through their kind. He was muscular, but somehow still thin.

Ludwig came in and looked around without showing any surprise at the room. He gave a noncommittal hum before walking in. It had surprised the group to discover Ludwig was Gilbert's younger brother, as Ludwig looked near the same age, and struck the group as the more mature of the two. He was taller by half a head than Gilbert, standing almost at the same height as Ivan and Mattie. Alfred watched, realizing they really were the same size. Ludwig's blond hair was tightly slicked back, and with his hard blue eyes, almost the same color as Alfred's, he looked like a force to be reckoned with. He was covered in muscle. It barely looked human on him. It was easy to tell he'd been training hard his whole life.

Roderich was the last one in. He looked around the room, though his facial expression didn't change, his violet eyes widened in surprise at the room before him. He didn't have the muscle of the other men, and his height was closer to that of Elizabeta and Arthur. He looked feminine in physique and sometimes it was noticed his attitude and speech made him come off as more feminine as well. "Do you have a piano here?" He asked as he walked up to the table and sat.

"I believe we do." Ivan thought. "If I can't remember where it is, I'll buy one. I want you to be happy here. This is your home now, as well as mine."

"Wait, our home?" Ludwig looked over. "In the castle?!"

"Of course. If I need to get my advisers together quickly, where better for you to be than within the house? It seemed like you lived in the castle at my grandfather's as well." Ivan watched as Roderich shook his head, one strand, like on Alfred, seemed to curl up and stay suspended, bouncing with the movement.

"We were given houses around the castle. We were in the castle almost exclusively during the day, but we weren't actually living there." Roderich watched as Ivan shook his head.

"The area around my castle is given to guards and the army. We keep barracks for the army who don't have another home to go to, and they're right next to the castle. Behind the castle we have training grounds as well as the stable for the horses." Ivan spoke watching as the new guys stared, wide eyed.

"So we'll be staying in the castle then. This could be interesting." Elizabeta smiled. Ivan was quite happy to see someone finally smile.

"The kitchen is open and free to you, and the bath downstairs. I'll have to get a new maid, as I only have one right now, but she'll be assisting you til I'm able to get more help." Ivan spoke and the four nodded their understanding.

"I have a question." Ludwig spoke a slight frown gracing his lip. "Why is there a vampire standing at attention behind one of your advisers? If he's a guard, shouldn't he be at your side?" Ludwig watched as Ivan laughed.

"Alfred saved him from his own stupidity. Vladimir tried to kill him to claim his position as an adviser, you see, and Alfred nearly turned him to stone. With Vladimir's power, Alfred's blood was able to cure him, but in Alfred's blood, Vladimir discovered Alfred as the reincarnation of the goddess, the bringer of magic to the world." Ivan felt it necessary to explain, not knowing if their land had the same legends.

"That explains that." Gilbert spoke, staring across at the blue eyes that looked nervous. "Why do you look so nervous?"

"Still getting used to new people." Alfred mumbled and Ivan frowned, looking over.

"Are you alright? Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable?"

"No, Ivan." Alfred spoke and for the first time in a long time, it rang through Ivan's head as if he'd called him master. Ivan sat back, a bitter look crossing his face, and in a sudden panic, Alfred threw himself to the floor, the same pose Ivan hadn't seen since Alfred's second day here. The new advisers stared in shock, while the old ones rushed to Alfred's side, the king arriving first.

"What caused you to regress this time?" Ivan spoke softly and Alfred shook his face into the floor, his hands kept still before him, wrists up, even though the leather was gone.

"A slave?" Ludwig nearly gasped out and Ivan turned to him, shaking his head.

"No more. He was, until recently, but I freed him, making him an adviser after he showed his attention to details I wasn't made to look for. He's very insightful, but still, occasionally, he has problems with his emotions. When he arrived he didn't have any at all. He'd come a far way, but I noticed it on the ride here. Your eyes stopped meeting mine." Ivan spoke and Alfred shook his head again, no words coming from his throat. "Alfred, look at me, please?" Ivan asked and Alfred's head slowly crept up, looking up at Ivan, their eyes meeting and Alfred saw the hurt in his expression. "Why are you acting like this again?"

"I'm unsure, Ivan." Alfred spoke softly, his hands shaking on the floor before him. Ivan's hand found its way to Alfred's cheek and Alfred swallowed hard, but didn't move his eyes.

"Eat. When lunch is done, get a bath and go sleep, alright?" He asked softly and Alfred nodded, but didn't say another word. "Now, can you get back into your seat?" He asked and Alfred nodded again, but nearly slithered into the seat, not standing at all during that time.

Another surprise came moments later when Matthew and Madeline ran into the room, both hugging Alfred and Arthur. "I'm so glad you're back safely!" Madeline gasped out, hugging Alfred close.

"Madeline!" He gasped and grasped her, hugging her tightly and she stilled, realizing he was crying. She held him tighter and looked up at Ivan, who understood the surprise on her face and he could only shrug. Seconds later, when Matthew hugged him from the other side, Alfred started sobbing.

After Alfred had eaten, Mattie and Arthur escorted him to the bath, all of them going in together. Madeline was offered to go as well, but shook her head. "Me and Nikolae are still working. I just came by to welcome you back." She smiled at Arthur, who nodded understanding before giving her another hug.

"Very friendly bunch here." Gilbert spoke and Alfred's hands clasped over his chest, worried at the words.

"They're siblings. Reunited after I found them all on chance." Ivan smiled at the group as they left the room.

"That's sweet." Elizabeta smiled, watching as they left the room, Matthew still patting Alfred's back, trying to calm him down. "You realized by now what happened, I'm taking it?" She turned to Ivan, who nodded.

"He was forbidden to use magic before. The first time he used it, he had a relapse as well. He kept using magic through the battles, being the one thing that really let us win against Asia. With six days of riding around two days of so much magic being used he passed out thrice, it took him back again." Ivan sighed, watching as the new advisers and Francis nodded.

"So... are you two together?" Elizabeta asked and Ivan's head snapped over to her, as well as the other advisers. Francis started to laugh as Ivan blushed and started sputtering, trying to think of a way to describe them.

"They're hopelessly in love, Mon chere." Francis answered for him. "Though neither of them wants to admit to it, there's no one better for them than each other." He watched as Ivan burned a brighter red at his words, but the sputtering stopped.

"It's not like that." Ivan spoke, but much quieter than the others were used to. "I'll admit it easily, that I love him, but he's still too fragile right now to think of things like that." Ivan sighed, looking down.

"He's a slave with a slave's mentality." Gilbert spoke up. "Why not just take him? He'll get used to it." He spoke and Ludwig's hand snapped forward hard enough to send Gilbert's face into the table, smacking against the food on his plate with a strong thud, nearly breaking his nose.

"If I do that, any trust he has in me is gone. He'll never love me back if I do that to him, or if I move too fast. It's been two weeks since he came here, and only a few kisses have passed between us. He was used that way in the past." Ivan sighed and Ludwig and Roderich's eyes widened. "He understands the pain and such, but he also feels terrified of feeling it again. I can't do that to him."

"So he was a sexual slave?" Roderich asked and Francis sighed, offering this answer himself.

"He was every type of slave, Mon ami. He was trained to take any grief given, do any chore he was told without question. He was beaten and raped for years, to the point they'd trained emotions and memories out of him. He was nothing but a shell when he came here. He started that life at only three years old. His whole life was spent breaking him down. When you think about it, My King, he's already made amazing progress, just smiling as brightly as he does when he sees you." Francis watched as Ivan sighed and looked up with a grateful nod.

"Well, we'd better get started orienting you on the castle. Madeline's already been told to get rooms ready for you, so Arthur will probably be busy helping her move furniture and such."

"I'll go help with that. Bruder, you come too." Ludwig stood and Roderich looked over, rolling his eyes.

"Then I'm guessing you'll want oriented later?"

"Roderich, you can show us around after we're done, Ja?"

"Ja." Roderich rolled his eyes, Elizabeta laughing at the antics while Francis stood.

"I can take you two to where she is. My King," Francis turned, "The new advisers, as well as Alfred will need mirrors."

"Mirrors?" Roderich turned, confused as Ivan nodded.

"Do any of you use magic?"

"We all can use some, but we're limited." Roderich watched as Ivan frowned.

"Limited by what?" Ivan was curious about this situation and Roderich thought, trying to figure out how to word this.

"We were cursed, Your Highness. An old lord of Germania felt we were betraying our home when we offered to serve King Piotr, and we were attacked in the night by a small group of wizards that burned seals into our backs. We've not been able to do much more than simple parlor tricks since." Roderich watched as Ivan grinned.

"I just happen to have a magician who loves old knowledge on hand. Matthew will take a look and see if he can break the seals, alright?" Ivan spoke and Roderich's eyes widened.

"Even hearing someone would look, it's an honor, Your Highness. Thank you." Roderich bowed and Ivan chuckled, shaking his head.

"In the meantime, do you know how to use mirrors for communication?"

"How to... what?" Elizabeta asked and Ludwig and Gilbert stilled, turning with confusion.

Alfred settled into the water, feeling the heat soak into himself. He sat in Ivan's normal place, not even realizing he was searching out the warmth he normally found in the man. "So..." Arthur asked, leaning back in the water, "What's going on between you and Ivan? It's odd to see you two apart anymore."

"I don't know." Alfred mumbled. "I just hope I'm not burdening him." He sighed and Arthur frowned.

"Has he kissed you?" Arthur remembered seeing them disappear behind a building just before the first battle. He had assumed there were kisses shared, but he was suddenly worried he was wrong.

"Yes." Alfred's hands came up to cover his mouth.

"Ivan doesn't kiss anyone unless they have his heart, Alfred." Arthur watched as Alfred stared, surprised. "As a matter of fact, I don't think I've ever seen him kiss anyone. I wonder if it was his first." He thought and Matthew laughed.

"You two were so close I thought you'd already been together. You've been staying in the same bed almost every night. It was definitely the first time I'd seen that!" Matthew smiled. "He loves you dearly. You're not a burden to him at all. I'll bet he's moping now that you're not at his side."

Alfred looked between the two of them and felt an intense relief at their words. His hands clasped over his heart, trying to calm it. "Thank you. I think I needed to hear that." He spoke softly with a smile finally coming to his face. Matthew let out a light chuckle while Arthur finally really relaxed. They spent an hour chatting and talking about all sorts of things, something Alfred wasn't really used to, but he found the time he spent with his brothers enjoyable every time they were together. "Do you think he'd be upset if I didn't follow his orders today?" Alfred asked and Arthur shook his head.

"They weren't orders. He's trying to let you rest, thinking fatigue from the last few days is what's causing your lapse in demeanor. If you think something else would be better, or might make you feel more like yourself, I'm sure he'd be happy to hear you've made that type of progress." Arthur spoke up, leaving Alfred with a grin.

"I know just what I need to do."

Alfred nearly ran the whole way, Vladimir right at his side as Alfred made his way back to the jewelry maker. He looked over the stones, looking for something he knew he'd seen the other day and after a moment, noticed it. "This stone, do you have any more?"

"That's an expensive one. How much do you need?" He asked and Alfred grinned.

"Enough to make a sword." Vladimir coughed and the man frowned, wondering if he had that much back at his house. "I'll also need a bunch of silver."

"It'll be expensive." The man frowned and Alfred held out a pouch, hope in his eyes.

"Will this be enough?" It was the last of the purse from the first time he'd gone out and the man opened the bag, pulling out about half of the gold and returned the rest to Alfred.

"Well more than enough, Sir. Stay here, I'll have to run home for the stones."

Alfred couldn't fight the grin from his face as he walked into the castle, holding a large bag. He walked into his own bedroom and turned, looking at Vladimir, who watched with interest.

"You've just paid a fortune in amethyst. What are you doing?"

"Watch!" Alfred grinned before pouring the stones out onto the bed and sat, closing his eyes and grasping a handful of stone and a few chunks of silver. "When I tell you, slide another piece into my hands, alright?" He looked up and Vladimir nodded, curious.

It was a lot harder to mold stone than silver. Alfred was gasping for breath, near passing out when the job was finally done and Vladimir stared in awe. "It's beautiful, Your Highness! I've never seen a blade like it!"

"I'm glad to hear. Maybe it'll make Ivan happy as well." Alfred stood and wrapped the blade in a soft cloth, wanting to keep it a secret til Ivan opened it. He ran down the halls like a giddy teenage girl as he sought to find the man that Alfred was starting to realize he loved.

"Ivan!" He yelled as he made his way through the halls, the showing of the castle nearly done and Ivan turned, surprised at the giant smile that adorned the other. Ivan couldn't help but smile back and waited til Alfred had reached him.

"What's all this excitement about?" He chuckled, watching as Alfred's eyes twinkled like stars. He was surprised when instead of words, Alfred held out a long, cloth wrapped item to him. Ivan frowned, not knowing what to think as he looked back up to Alfred who watched with joy. Ivan looked down and unwrapped the sword, staring. Silver handle with a good guard, intricately detailed with a rope design and the family crest Alfred had seen at Piotr's castle all around the guard. The blade was a bright purple, flecks of silver through it strengthening the blade. It was heavy as could be, much too heavy to fight with, but it was probably the most beautiful blade Ivan had ever seen. "What is this?" Ivan stared, surprised and held it up, looking through the blade. It was nearly transparent, light shining through the other side.

"I hope you like it! I made it for you! I remember how much you liked the one I made, and I remembered this stone and thought it matched your eyes." Alfred grinned, happy to see the joyous surprise in Ivan's expression. He was a tad surprised when seconds later Ivan grasped him and held him close, Vladimir, Roderich and Elizabeta walking down the hallway to give them a moment alone.

"Thank you, Alfred. It's a beautiful blade, but when you're so exhausted, don't exert such power for me. I'd rather see you healthy and smiling than worn out." Ivan spoke, his smile betraying his words.

"But what if doing things like this for you is what makes me happy?" Alfred asked and Ivan cupped his cheek, kissing him softly. Alfred's hand grasped hard to his shirt and Ivan slid his hand back, placing the sword on a table behind him. He heard a light crash, but didn't even care as his arms flew around Alfred, holding him close. A few times people in the castle stopped at the hallway and turned to go another way after the fifteen minutes they spent wrapped in each other's arms, their lips greeting each other over and over in the time.