A month had passed and Carson was feeling more a part of the Daravilus household; in spite of the obvious efforts Sarek was making to turn everyone against him.

"Doesn't know what he's doing, don't know why the Sovereign allows him to stay, a crippled mute…" was the latest remark he had overheard Sarek laughingly say in front of some of the servants.

That he should, "…go back to wherever he came from and leave the proper healing to the experts."

Carson sat at his table in the room the Sovereign had given to him, writing in his notebook. It was his idea book where he listed the herbs available to him and the different ways they could be used, and also he had sketched out ideas on better ways to make casts and braces for those in need.

He glanced down at his leg, he no longer wore the brace Sarek had made him all those weeks before, but his leg still ached fiercely if he stood on it too long.

It was a bad construction...he thought to himself.

The notebook he wrote in was a new one, the original had disappeared from his room under "mysterious" circumstances weeks earlier; around the same time Sarek had trimmed his hair and started walking around head held high and snapping at those who dared to question him.

Carson stopped writing, sitting back in his chair and looked around the room, his very own room; big enough for a small sleeping and sitting area and a space where he could store and mix medicines of his own.

He smiled to himself thinking how lucky he was that he was feeling better; the weeks before, a blur of pain and confusion, nightmares, dark shadows leaning over him, sharp agony. Lately though, his two steady thoughts keeping him going were that he felt in his heart that he had been a good healer…and that the Sovereign's son had called him friend.

His smile widened as he recalled their meeting (or re-meeting, since they supposedly knew each other before) several days ago.

He had been called to Sarek's quarters to watch as he patched up a hurt guard. Sarek wanted him to see the "right" way of being a healer. When Carson had entered his quarters, he heard the guard hissing in pain as Sarek tended to a wound on the man's leg; the healer was doing a bad job of it and the guard was feeling it all.

"Move closer, you can't see anything from over there!" Sarek ordered. When Carson stepped forward, he noticed someone was leaning against a wall in the shadows behind the bed where the guard lay.

When the figure stepped forward, Carson gasped slightly lowering his gaze.

Seconds past and he looked up to find the Sovereign's son silently staring at him.

As Sarek finished bandaging the guard's wound, he noticed the silence in the air and looked up to find the mute and the Sovereign's son staring at each other.

"Er...m'lord my work is done, he'll be okay." Sarek stated, pointing at the guard who pulled himself off the bed knocking Sarek back a little on purpose as he did.

Sarek straightened himself and watched as the guard glanced at John in annoyance, then slight fear as the look John gave him made him start. Then the guard nodded slightly at John, and with a grunt left the room leaving Sarek standing between the two silent men.

"M'lord?"

"Thank you, Sarek." said John still in a staring match with Carson.

The stigma of the crazy prodigal son was still held over John, but as the weeks went by, people started to notice something almost dangerous about him.

He wasn't violent, but was polite and soft spoken in most cases; but when he looked at you, it was like a storm was raging within him that he was holding at bay...but only just.

Sarek huffed then moved towards Carson.

"I don't need you anymore… you saw me in action; I hope you took notes, you can leave now."

"Wait.' said John, his eyes never leaving Carson. "How are you?" he asked the quiet man.

Carson opened his mouth then slowly shut it.

Sarek looked from John then back to Carson.

"He doesn't talk m'lord, remember?"

"Right...a speech impediment so I've heard. Well, I don't care what he sounds like. I heard we knew each other once, so I'm glad to see my friend again."

Carson's eyes widened as did Sarek's.

"He's no friend of yours m'lord! He filled your head with delusions and kept you from your father!"

"And you know this for a fact?" The look John gave Sarek shut him up quickly and John surged forward putting his arm around Carson's shoulder.

"Let's get out of here and we can talk...no, well, I'll talk." he smirked.

And with that, Carson smiled to himself…he had found a friend.

"How well do you know Arex?"

"Sorry?"

John looked up from his meal at Lucius who sat at the head of the table.

"The cripple, how well do you know him?" questioned Lucius.

John's brow furrowed.

"He's my friend."

Lucius took a sip from his drink.

"He could have been your friend, or a complete stranger you happened to fall down next to." he cut into the food on his plate. "Or... the person who kept you from me all these years."

"Wait..." John sat back in his chair. "You think he kept me locked up for years? That I was his prisoner?"

"You don't have to be locked up to be imprisoned, son." sighed Lucius. "You were always one to follow an adventure; maybe he convinced you that by leaving your home you would find the adventure you most likely were seeking."

"I'm not that gullible." frowned John.

"You aren't that gullible now, son…now. Years ago…?" Lucius shrugged his shoulders. "Just be on your guard. I don't want to see you dragged back into your delusions; you've been doing so well lately."

"I know, I'll be fine." said John digging into his meal.

-tbc-