Chapter 1

Master and Commander

Cloud watched leaning up against a wall as his brother King chose several more slaves from the collection for various reasons, the hall practically buzzing as various different employees ferried the stasis slaves out to the 'inspection' where the prospective buyer would have the chance to have a better check over their physical condition and attitude before a deal was struck.

"I think that should do it," Zack grinned clapping his hands together, "Aerith will be happy, I've chosen an apprentice for her- she has been asking for one for a while."

"And that had nothing to do with the fact you have a soft spot for her?"

Aerith was among the few slaves of the country that had been freed but had chosen to continue her work for her former masters as a freewoman. She was a magnificent healer, seamstress and a wonderful person to speak to, wining the favour of most people she met. Most of the palace knew that their King nursed a particularly soft spot from the beautiful brunette especially since she had gained her freedom by saving the black-haired ruler's life when he had been struck down illness last fall.

They were lead by Xemnas down yet another hall babbling on about something or another to the Royal party oblivious to the fact that really none of them really seemed concerned about what he was saying and most were not even bothering to listen. The eldest Prince included.

"You wait here," instructed Zack as he passed into the hall leaving his brother to wait outside.

"But-!"

If there was one thing Squall hated, it was to be tied up.

To feel harsh unrelenting bindings force you into a certain position that was usually extremely uncomfortable for an unapparent length of time. On top of that any time that you shifted in order to try and yet more blood circulation to your arms the binding would do their best to sink into the skin.

So now that the ex-Commander had been in this uncomfortable position for at least ten minutes he was, if possible, even more disgruntled than he had been in the cell. People who knew the stoic brunet would have known now was a good time to leave him alone.

Unfortunately that wasn't going to happen, Squall thought as he watched the door open again, admitting a handsome and very well dressed man with spiky black hair who carried himself in a way that suggested power and authority. The man, like the slave trader before him, stalked instinctively towards him, eyes sweeping his form appreciatively.

"He's untouched then?"

"Only one in the group that is."

"He's perfect," the Royal said a gleeful smile plastering his face as he carelessly approached the disgruntled brunet, "You have to admit Cloud has good taste." The violet eyed man began to run one hand over the Commander's cheek the man instinctively pulled away as far his accursed bindings would allow for, defiance shining in stormy greys. Instead of being angry however, the man who Squall was fast realizing was the King himself chuckled.

"The more prideful the harder they fall."

"Zack stop antagonizing him," another voice sighed.

The King sighed, "I told you to wait Cloud,"

"I have more right than you do… he's mine."

Zack grinned proudly at this, having wondered if Cloud was really going to take charge of a slave. The King had had his doubts about his younger brother's views on the slave trade. He himself had found it inhumane at first until he realized it was one of the few reasons that their unemployment rate was so low, it kept people off the streets and safe. There were laws he himself had instigated too for the better treatment of slaves- though the breaking in was never pleasant.

"Fine."

Bright glowing sky-blue eyes caught Squall's as the Prince came into his vision, he was caught momentarily unawares remembering back to the gentle hand as he had awoken. In an almost sense of security, he stopped struggling as the man approached even allowing him to place his hand where the black haired king had tried earlier.

"He has to be the first person he's actually stopped struggling for," commented Marluxia eyeing the duo with a little bit of awe, "What makes his highness so different?"

The violet eyed man had that answer as he smiled widely "Initial attraction."

Indeed at the first touch of the blond, Squall was fighting down a shiver which threatened to show itself to their wider audience. He could not however bring himself to flinch at the touch regardless of the triumphant smirk he wore, something to do with the aura of ambiguity that surrounded him and the anomaly he represented.

The Prince was so very very close hovering mere inches from the commander as he examined him. There was a promise in the way his fingers played over the younger man's lips.

"He's perfect," Cloud repeated turning back to his brother.

The King and his brother had left soon afterwards and the four had been taken to what they presumed was the palace- not that their mode of transport had allowed them to see where they were, in fact the first view they had of their new 'home' was the inside of luxurious smooth hall.

The woman who awaited them was beautiful in her own right, with long plaited brown hair and a kind smile, but it was the woman next to her that was familiar.

"Tifa?"

"Can't say I didn't warn you," the martial arts expert smiled "And I was right wasn't I… Cloud chose Leon, didn't he?"

Squall let out a murmur in the affirmative, idly ribbing his wrists from where they had been tied earlier, refusing to meet Tifa's eyes.

There was an uncomfortable silence before it was prematurely broken by the stranger, "My name is Aerith, and you four best come with me for the moment, so I can get you measured up."

"For what exactly?" bit Seifer, and Squall could tell in an instant he was about as happy with their treatment as the brunet was. This was getting ridiculous, the amount of times the two rivals had found themselves agreeing on something in the last few weeks.

"Uniforms and the like before you get shipped out to your stations," she looked softly at him in a way which marked her as one of those people it was impossible to dislike, no matter how hard you tried, "It'll be okay, slaves are very well treated here… I would know."

The four were lead to a room off the main hall where one by one their measurements were taken and by magic uniforms were made; it was obvious the talent needed to do such magic at her speed, as she whirled her arm around making clothing, was high. As Selphie expressed her awe quite animatedly during their brief visit, they all discovered that the same girl would eventually be Aerith's apprentice. It didn't seem to trouble her much; in fact it only excited her even more.

As the conversation meandered on, Aerith revealed that Zell would be going into the general staff, and Seifer would be going into the military. Neither man seemed as apprehensive as they could have been about their new positions, Seifer from what the brunet could see was almost glad to be promised to a weapon again.

But when the conversation came to Squall everyone stopped.

The brunet was almost glad for the silence, as he changed into a pair of fairly familiar leather pants and a loose silk shirt; any tearful leavings would have made it so much harder, more tragic for the fallen leader. Yet the unspoken sadness was still there. If Tifa's description of his role was right, and the Commander had no doubt that she was correct, then who knew who he would be out the other side.

A broken creature of bidding?

Sure the Prince had looked nice enough when he had entered that room all good looks and soft touches… but you really can never trust first appearances. First appearances are crafted in order to turn people's opinion of another to what the person making the impression wanted. If the Prince had wanted Squall to like him he simply could act a certain way, even if it was completely out of character.

For the night however the four were allowed to remain together, unknowing if they would ever see each other again. Even Seifer, who they had never considered a friend, seemed to join in their vigil instinctively reaching for anyone he knew in this strange world rather than be alone.

Silence.

Silence was bliss; Squall had once thought and had revelled in its company

Now it suffocated him and his companions as they waited an indefinite amount of time till the dawning of the new day. Strangely it was the storm eyed man who broke that silence.

"Guys," Everyone looked up apprehensively at his words, blinking widely at the word, "I want you… to promise me something…" A deep breath in. "Don't pity me when I go into this, and don't let thoughts of me try to sully any happiness you have been able to draw from this place." Selphie started to argue but he raised one hand to silence her, resolution clear in his eyes, "Don't protest… This is hard enough for me as it is. As your Commander, I'm ordering you."

"But-" The girl started.

"He's made up his mind… don't try and change it," interrupted Seifer abruptly, "We will find a way to get out Squall."

"To where? Where do we run? Balamb? Destroyed. Esthar? Overwhelmed. Name a place where we could run and not be found… there isn't one. You know this as well as I. I might never even see any of you again."

The tattooed man sighed dejectedly, "As much as I hate to say it Squall's right… we don't have anywhere to go."

"I'm not going down without a fight," the elder blond snarled.

"I don't plan to either," the brunet said stopping any further argument from either party.

He didn't know how much longer they sat like that; time had no measure where they were. Arguments were fought but looks rather than words until both sides were too listless to continue. Eventually Selphie fell asleep, head gently rested on Squall's leg, and Zell soon joined her in dreamland head lolling back against a wall. Seifer and Squall stayed awake together until the dawn broke in a companionable stillness. Tifa eventually came to take the older gunblader to his new duties.

She returned for Zell.

Aerith came for Selphie.

Until Squall was the last one left.

Always the last to go.

The blond smiled politely to yet another well-wisher who passed him yet another gift, kissing the woman's hand with a flourish, making a red blush spread over her cheeks as she moved away the scent of her perfume following. This had to be one of the more monotonous jobs of his birthday- getting the presents.

As much as any usual person would be overjoyed to receive so much, he was getting tired of the repetition of the ritual receiving of something that he was likely to already have several duplicates of. The money could be better used to make others less fortunate lives happier, rather than the buying expensive, and more often than not useless, gifts. He didn't even get to open them now, simply smile nicely and thank whatever nameless Earl, Duchess or foreign Ambassador which gave them.

No, the preset opening was usually reserved for later on, when he and his twin brothers, Sora and Roxas, occasionally accompanied by Zack when he had the time, would tear them open and make any comment they wished without hurting anyone's feelings, eventually choosing to sell the majority of them and use the money to do exactly what Cloud wanted to do with it.

Give it to someone else who could use it better.

A choice amount of gifts he would keep.

As the last well-wisher passed placing yet another gift in his hands, the doors flung open and entered his salvation for the monotony… His Highness King Zack of Gaia and its Associated Colonies, who insisted that he present his gift like everyone else: publically.

"Greeting on this most glad of days, brother. Where you finally enter this world as a man," the black haired King grinned happily, "May I present your main gift from me... your own personal slave."

The doors opened get again, and escorted in by four guards was the very person he was looking forward to, and yet dreading to see the most: the fairly disorientated but enigmatically handsome brunet.

Squall looked up to see the approach of the blond who was his 'master' still highly aware that the whole room's eyes were on him watching his every move, analysing his every move. Eyes burning into him like glowing suns.

The guards who had been roughly handling him since the King had come to fetch him from the room in which Aerith had been 'keeping' him, gave him a shove forwards to the blond and he attempted to glare back. It had been the Royal's words as he himself had come to the room to deliver him a cryptic message, that were currently weighing heavily on his mind/

'You are exactly what he needs… look after him for me.'

The brunet didn't get it, 'exactly what he needs'? What was that?

The blond Prince before him looked like he had everything, wealth beyond belief, family who obviously cared, a large group of admirers, maybe even a group of friends who weren't either dead or in slavery. He could not see what he could possibly offer… well there was the toy aspect.

But surely they were many others that would be more than happy to fill that role? Happier to do so than him at least.

He had to admit the Prince was damn handsome- with shining bright blue eyes and the way that blond hair fell in soft spikes around his face. His body wasn't bad either now he got a better look; he had a strong build from what he could see…

Then the stormy eyed man realized he was staring, he looked down the very lightest of blushes invading his pale face. Prince Cloud let a smirk drift across his face that the slave who stood barely a metre from him had not picked up, the man hadn't ducked his head in time to hide the blush from him.

It was the Prince who closed that last distance and putting one finger in the man's chin forced him to look upwards, until clear sky blue met stormy blue grey. Knowing there was nothing at all Squall could do to hinder any of the blond's plans for him while they were in front of such a large audience, Cloud simply, almost affectionately drew his hand to caress the scarred face.

This simply served to puzzle Squall further. He was a slave, why was he treating him so well?

This question was only doubled when his 'master' (how he was growing to loathe that word and the status associated with it) brought out of his pocket a chain with a heavy pendant.

Griever.

Where had he got that? He had thought he lost it with the fall of Balamb garden.

Still he had not realized how much he had missed its cold weight against his skin, until he was reunited with it, even if it was by a captor's hand that it was delivered.

"Its suits," was the whisper the brunet was sure he was the only one to hear, near silent as it was, "My little lion." A shiver made its may down his spine as the warm breath of the prince embraced his ear.

With the next statement he addressed my guards, going flawlessly from that low almost purr to a strong cold voice of authority, "Take him to my quarters."

The guards quickly took him from the sight of the Prince, roughly escorting from view, the cold metal of Griever still tempting at through the silk of his shirt. The way they took the SeeD was yet again unfamiliar, the opposite direction to whence he had come, the wide smooth halls full with life were the only thing that kept him from feeling like the prisoner he technically was. The guards certainly were not treating him any different than a prisoner. Squall wondered if they too were slaves and whether they treated him roughly on orders or simply because they could.

Either way, the brunet was harshly and unceremoniously through a pair of heavy gold-inlaid oak doors into what, it became apparent by the sheer luxury of his surroundings was the Prince's quarters. It had the feel of a luxurious open plan multi-level penthouse, ornate and superfluous in every aspect. It like much of this palace made his own home look pale and plain in comparison.

The first concept that filtered into Squall's brain was to try and get away, regardless of his outburst against Seifer and the others earlier… he still wasn't overly glad to play servant to a Prince. He knew, of course that the door behind him was locked firmly having heard the heavy bolts slide into place. It would not open until someone with clearance came… which would inevitably be the blond.

He checked the windows and the balcony- but the windows were a fair way above ground as this was one of the highest levels of the palace and both windows and the balcony doors were also locked. And from what Squall could tell, they were also alarmed. The glass twinkled temptingly, mischievously at him, denying his access to the outside world. Either way, if he did smash the glass there was no climbing apparatus to use to get down.

Time ran by and the brunet found himself on one lush, aquamarine couch after having given up all chance of escape only after searching every room he could get into. The Prince had obviously planned against that particular endeavor. He had been sitting there for at least four hours by the clock on the mantle of the fireplace and had yet to find a flaw in the security. The sleepless night must have been catching up with him as his eyes began to droop no matter how much he beseeched them to stay open. Goodness knows what could happen if he drifted off.

Hours later, Cloud softly padded into his quarters after a good could of hours sorting through his presents with the twins and Zack. It was out of the corner of his eye he saw the brunet collapsed on his couch in sleep. Standing over him, he couldn't help but admire the form of his new slave, he was so beautiful. Pulling a blanket over the Commander's shoulders and for the second time in as many days he ran his hand through the soft chocolate brown locks and pressed a chaste kiss to his forehead. Tempted to do more, unbidden words slipped from his lips.

"I am so sorry."

AN/: Thank you to all my reviewers you guys are a great encouragement to me…

This chapter is just sort of setting things up for later, so it might be a bit dull. Sorry? Hold with me.