Treize POV
I watched the boy digest what I had said with a look that could only be described as dread. This worried me a bit. I could understand that he would want to protect his family from a potentially powerful lord, but this was going a bit far. It wasn't like I couldn't just ask Lizong to tell me, so I wondered what the boy was hiding from me. I decided that it would be best to give him some time, since we had just met and, under the circumstances, I wasn't surprised that the boy didn't trust me. I also had to give him credit since he hadn't lied. With my years in harsh negotiations I had become quite adept at seeing through lies and would have spotted his immediately. It takes a brave man to stand up for himself in the face of someone like me, I could respect that.
I still hadn't decided whether or not I would really return him to the emperor if he didn't tell me about his family. Beyond the fact that I hesitated at thrusting the boy into a situation of which I knew nothing about, it might be taken as an insult to the easily offended emperor. If he could tell me where his family was, even a distant relative that would take him in, I could arrange for him to be taken there under the table. Without all the information, though, I was at a loss for what to do.
The boy's stomach rumbled loudly, pulling me out of my musings. I released his foot hastily, I had forgotten I was holding it, and stood up, then offered a hand to Wufei. He did not take it, though I was not surprised, and got to his feet on his own. I had been impressed when he had not whimpered at the strain I had put on his leg to subdue him, but I had already learned that his pride was something he valued highly. If I left him in the hands of the emperor, if he fell into the hands of someone who had no qualms in taking his body in the most guttural ways... it would break him. I shuddered to think of the boy lying in his own blood, his eyes far away in a look that I had seen on a few people, male and female, that had been in ransacked towns when the marauders came through. No matter how good the care was, or how much their loved ones tried to console them, they never came back. Though many people could survive through the terrible experience with only the scars on their bodies and hearts, there were some that couldn't. Once broken, always broken.
Wufei's stomach growled again, a little less loudly this time, and I grew concerned.
"Wufei, how long has it been since you last ate?" I questioned him. He simply looked at the floor, but eventually answered.
"Three or four days," he said simply. I frowned again. Why had the boy not eaten in so long? However, I held my tongue. Asking him a question right now would only make him think I was prying and that would make him angry.
I stood and walked out into the hall, where another servant was waiting.
"Could you bring up some juice and small pieces of fruit?" I asked, and the girl nodded vigorously before running off. I reentered the room and found that Wufei had moved from the floor to the armchair. I tried to repress the images of him that the chair brought and barely managed to. I had just sat down when there was a knock on the door signaling the servant had returned. Quickly, I rose and took the tray, sending the servant away. I set the tray down on the table near Wufei an, I swear, the boy was about to pounce on it. Only my presence in the room kept him from gorging himself. I poured him a glass of orange juice and handed it to him, leaving my hand on it to utter a warning.
"It's been days since you've last eaten. Drink this slowly and eat only little pieces at first, or you'll vomit," I cautioned. Wufei drank as slowly as he could make himself. I could see that it was difficult for the boy, but his pride was so easily wounded that I didn't dare to offer him aid.
The real food came soon and I found that I quite enjoyed the Yu Za Kuei. It was a bit like the doughnuts Duo was so fond of, but a little crispier.
It was obvious that Wufei enjoyed the meal, with the little, barely audible sounds of contentment he made, I had to guess that it was the first good meal he had in a long time. It was also obvious how exhausted he was, when he fell asleep with a pastry still in his hand. I smiled as he dropped it to the floor in his sleep, then bent and put him into the bed. I was a bit relieved that he had fallen asleep, I had to talk with Lizong and his advisors soon and I wasn't sure what to do with the boy. I quickly put on the rest of my formal attire, which consisted of my boots, belt, jacket, ceremonial sword, and the small dagger I kept in my sleeve. I called to one of the servants that I found were in constant attendance around my room and informed him that Wufei should not be disturbed, but I would appreciate it if someone checked on him from time to time and make sure he was comfortable. I told him that I wanted the boy well rested. The servant looked at me oddly and nodded.
The meeting with the emperor was boring and nothing was really accomplished. I wasn't even certain what we were meeting over, since all our treaties were solid and we were both in good terms.
When I returned, later that evening, I found Wufei in good spirits. He looked much better having rested all morning. I suggested that we go down to the gardens. I had already been in the gardens once, but they were so immense that I had only seen a part of them and I was dying to see more of the waterfalls that housed the small golden fish. I was also fairly certain that Wufei would enjoy it, he did seem a bit excited, restrained like any good aristocrat, but excited none the less.
We didn't talk much on our walk, though I could see that he had questions to ask me and I wanted to know more about him also, but I think that each of us knew that any conversation would spoil the mood of the garden. So we walked in a comfortable, if a bit unfamiliar, silence.
It was late when we got back to the palace. We had missed dinner, I had eaten lunch during our meeting and Wufei had assured me the servants had brought him lunch, so we were able to eat in the privacy of my room again. After that I went to the library. I told Wufei I had decided to go to the library, but didn't ask him at first. I had wanted to see if he had any interest in going, since I didn't want to drag the boy places he would rather not go, but I could see that he desperately wanted to go and his pride kept him from asking. In the end I invited him along and was soon glad I did.
Wufei was a bit shy when we first entered the library, but was soon enthralled by the ancient and unique books he found. It was like watching a child in a candy shop, the way his face would light up every time he saw a rare book. I could tell instantly that he was a scholar. It was strange, how did a gently-raised scholar find his way into my bed? The questions were driving me mad, but I dared not alienate Wufei by asking them. It would be better to gain a bit of his trust before asking him about his past.
I was not surprised to find Wufei asleep with a book open in his lap that night. I could tell the boy was still recovering from whatever had happened to him recently but was too stubborn to let himself rest. Though, I must admit, seeing him curled up in the armchair by the lamp, his head resting on his shoulder and the open book spread across his lap, it was simply adorable. That boy was too beautiful for his own good, but I guessed that he had already learned that.
I would like to say that the boy's sleep was as peaceful as the last night, but I attempt not to lie as often as I can. I awoke to the sounds of distress deep into the night to find Wufei thrashing beside me. The boy was easily soothed with quiet words and soft touches and quickly slipped back to a restful sleep, but had another nightmare only hours later. In the end, I clutched him firmly to my chest, something I had avoided doing for fear of scaring him, and he slept the rest of the night. It seemed that, though his mind was still tentative about trusting me, his subconscious knew that I would allow nothing to happen to him.
I again woke before Wufei, quickly removing myself from his arms so that he didn't awake to find himself so close to another man. I had to leave before Wufei was even awake that morning, Lizong was taking me to see the dragon nests and the way his people worked together with the dragons. It was a long trip to the larger nests made worse by the fact that we were expected to ride in a carriage instead of flying. I would not return until dinner, so I informed the servants that Wufei should, once again, be left to rest but was now allowed to travel the gardens if he wished. That was as far as I could allow him, for his own safety. I was unsure of how my "concubine," as Lizong had called him, would be treated by the guards and servants. I doubted that they would hurt him, but one could never be too certain. The sooner I returned him to his family, the better.
However, the more I learned about the boy, the more I seemed to like him. I found myself thinking, on the long and boring journey, that it would not be so bad to take him back to Haven with me. Quatre would adore him for his love of books and Duo would set to pranking him at once. And, it wouldn't be so bad to have some company while the other two were away for myself. It was sometimes hard, being a leader as I was, I was forced to put the people I trusted most in positions that they would be away from me for long periods of time. Others that would have been true companions for me were drowned out by the ones that were interested in gaining my favor because of my power and their own ambition. It was rare to see someone who acted as bravely as Wufei when face with a man who had conquered a country. I wondered for a time if Wufei even knew who I really was, since he hadn't known my name and I hadn't told him my title. I toyed with that thought for a while, then dismissed it. It didn't do me any good when Wufei was not around to ask.
The trip to the nests was... uneventful and boring. It was neat, of course, to see the intricate harnesses that were used on the dragons and way the dragons helped to sew and cut the crops, but the knowledge was of little use to me. My country could not support dragons outside for more than a few months and we had no where near the man power or resources to begin to use the huge animals. Beyond that, I was not actually allowed to see how the harness was made or how the dragons were tamed, so it was of little use to me anyway. Only the emperor and his advisors knew how to tame the dragons.
I returned to the palace exhausted and irritable. The uselessness of the whole outing combined with the stupidity of riding when flying would have been a thousand time fast had put me into a dark mood.
I found Wufei, unsurprisingly, reading by the window when I returned. The stack of books that I had taken from the library for him was dwindling already and I could tell that I would have to make another trip with him soon. But at that time I wanted nothing more than to shower, eat something, and go to sleep. Tonight was not the night to question Wufei and I knew it. My patience was almost non-existent and I would only become angry and do something rash. I would have to question him the next morning, though, so that I would have time to make arrangements before it was time to leave. Beyond that, I was beginning to worry about keeping Wufei here. The emperor had been asking about the boy a bit and I had been forced to tell him that he was too exhausted to leave the room, which was true, but not for the reasons that the emperor assumed. There was to be a ball on my fourth night and the emperor had told me to bring the boy, saying that I would have to go easy on him and let him get a little rest so that he could attend.
I was just getting into the shower when Wufei knocked on the door.
"Would you like me to ask the servants to bring up dinner?" he asked, his voice oddly quiet compared to his usual personality.
"If you wouldn't mind," I told him. When I came out of the shower, dinner had been laid out on the table and the aromas were delicious. I sat down and ate with a vigor that would have impressed starving wolves. Okay, maybe not that bad, but still. Wufei ate with the same high-born manners I had seen in him earlier, and I again wondered about his heritage. Had he disgraced his family in some way? Was that why he wouldn't tell me about them? For the time being, I could only wonder.
I was the first to climb into bed that night, exhausted from the days travels. Wufei came to bed only moments after me, but hesitated. It was the first time he had actually chosen to sleep in the same bed as me and he seemed a bit anxious. I tossed the covers on his side back, an invitation.
"You can sleep wherever you want," I told him, "but the floor is not comfortable and the other rooms may not be safe. No one would attack me, the emperor's guest, but they might attack you to prove a point. You are safest close to me."
"I can defend myself," the boy stated haughtily. I smiled in the darkness.
"No warrior can constantly defend his own back without the aid of his friends."
"I have no friends," the boy said softly, yet climbed into bed beside me. It was all I could do to hold my tongue and not tell him, "I am you friend." Wufei would not have believed me anyway.
The next day went by quickly. I went to breakfast in the formal hall at the request of Lizong. Wufei was not able to attend, something I had mixed feelings about, because of his lack of clothes. He had been wearing my robe, since it was the only thing that would stay on him, for the passed two days. I called for a tailor that day, but was unable to attend the appointment. I had another meeting with Lizong and his ambassadors, this time to discuss the trading between our two nations. Of course, it was really only a preliminary meeting, the real meeting would be held in two days where we would discuss how the futures of our two countries were planned. Today would probably only be an introduction and explanation of what each province had to offer. I, also, would be explaining the vast, untapped mineral resources beneath the Russian ice, something that we would need dragons to thaw in order to get at.
And that, really, was what the whole trip was about. Lizong needed my minerals to keep his economy strong and I could not get at those minerals without his dragons. But it was more than that. Russia could not support a dragon even if we got one. In the same way, the Chinese wouldn't know how to get the minerals out of the tough Russian rocks even if they mined them out themselves. Which is why we needed a partnership.
And so, I gritted my teeth and bore all of Lizong's boring traditions. I decided that Wufei was only a few years younger than myself, he could handle getting his own clothes. I told Wufei that the tailor would come around noon and instructed the tailor to give Wufei a few outfits. Something warm and heavy, something that he could exercise in, and a few other sets of clothes, then left it in his hands. The only thing I really thought Wufei would need were the two I had specified and I was dying to see how well Wufei handled a sword.
When I returned that night I found Wufei in a white outfit traditional of Chinese boys for fighting. It seemed to suit him well and I thought about having more made for him when I returned to Haven, only to realize that he would be long gone. The thought was met with a rather inappropriate pang of sadness.
That was the first night that Wufei dined in the banquet hall. He was understandably nervous, seated at a table with the ruler of his country and the man that had forced him into slavery must have been a bit intimidating. I wondered briefly what he would think when he learned that I was probably as powerful as Lizong, if not more. Though Wufei might have found dinner an anxious affair, I found it boring. Too many old men speaking of politics and war tactics that they knew nothing about. Wufei however, seemed riveted by some of the conversations, the scholar in him showing through once again.
Later that night, I took Wufei into the courtyard and found a secluded little place to spar with him. At first, he hesitated at taking the sword, I believe there is some policy about slaves not holding swords in China or some other nonsense. However, I was able to get a good look at the swordsman in Wufei when I threw the sword to him and he caught it mid air, bringing it down into a more secure hold with a graceful arc of the blade. I charged him, and he dodged out of the way.
We continued to fight for several hours. Wufei seemed to enjoy the battle as much as I did, though I could see that it was a blow to his pride every time I defeated him. Wufei's style of fighting relied too much on looks, on making his opponent look away from the blade of his sword so that he could attack. Any swordsman with good concentration could defeat that style, though Wufei's skill was nothing to mock at. In a few years, he would give me a run for my money, but as it was Wufei merely lacked the experience I had.
When we finally returned to the room, we were both too tired to bathe, though we were both sweaty. We fell into bed, barely managing to kick our shoes and shirts off and I was asleep within seconds of lying down, I doubt Wufei was awake much longer.
It dawned on me later that I didn't have the time to see what the tailor had made Wufei, but that didn't seem important at the time. It also came to my attention that I had forgotten to ask Wufei about his family, but I decided to put it off for one more day. As long as I had two days to make arrangements I would be fine, but I could not risk taking any longer than that.