Chapter 12
Viktor nearly ran to go get the doctor. Mattie had been torn to bits, bruising and broken bones littered his body. Yao looked horrified at him, trying to do what he could with what he was able to find in the kitchen and frowned.
Tea leaves would be a great idea. Yao brewed them and walked over, laying the brewed herbs over some of the lacerations before Viktor came back with the doctor, who looked at Mattie before his eyes shifted to Alfred.
"You're not doing this to them, are you?" He asked and Mattie let out a soft chuckle.
"He just saved me." Mattie tried to sit up, hissing in pain as more of the tea leaves were spread over the wounds.
"Sit still, Mat. This will soothe." Yao whispered and the doctor walked over, seeing what was being done.
"I can heal the wounds. Don't worry about the tea." The doctor whispered and Yao and Alfred both sighed in relief as the man lifted his hands, repeating soft words. Mattie almost instantly felt the stinging of his skin start to fade and groaned in relief.
"Does it hurt?" Alfred asked, worried, his hand itching to grasp the other, even though he knew the doctor would tell him not to.
"I've been hanging from the ceiling for the last two days. Of course it hurts." Mattie chuckled before he felt a bone shift and ground his teeth.
"Just bare with it." The doctor mumbled. "It's repairing itself. Any broken bones you have should start to shift back into proper alignment." He whispered and Mattie let out a groan as the bones of his ribs all started to shift at the same time. Alfred whimpered, watching horrified as Yao stared, paled.
They had both been in punishment for Alfred's betrayal. His eyes shifted over to the man standing by the door, his eyes wide on Mattie, his hands shaking at his sides. "How did you get here?" Yao stepped back and Viktor glanced over, looking over Yao's ragged appearance. He had long, dark brown hair that came to the small of his back. It was usually sleek and shiny, but it was torn and knotted. He was only dressed in black pants, so the bruises around his arms and throat were visible. He had dark circles under his large, dark brown eyes, and his normally dark complexion seemed pale.
"Yao, are you ill? What... what did he do to you?" Viktor whispered, his hands coming to cover his heart.
"That's not the same Ivan." Alfred whispered. "This is the real one. The one who's been in the castle since the English trip is a fraud. He's the dragon we were going to hold the ceremony for. Somehow they switched bodies." Alfred spoke softly, turning to Yao and taking in his appearance.
"Oh, please... Yao, please tell me he didn't." Alfred stood, softly running a hand over the bruises on his arms and Yao looked away, wincing at the fact he couldn't honestly give Alfred that reassurance.
"I'm sorry I couldn't stay faithful." Yao whispered, his voice raising an octave, his throat clenching in response to the sudden pain and fear that ran through his chest.
Alfred grasped him, pulling him to his chest. "It wasn't your fault. You didn't have any say in it. I'm so sorry I wasn't able to come back sooner! I could have stopped him! I could have saved you!"" He cried out and Yao grasped him hard.
He wanted to thank him for not being angry. He wanted to have him kiss away the pain like he'd done so many days before. He wanted so hard for this embrace to not end. "I'm just happy you came back at all. I was so scared he'd found you." Yao whispered, softly laying his hands on Alfred's hips. "I love you."
"I love you." Alfred leaned back, giving him a gentle kiss and Yao, for the first time in days, smiled.
. . . . .
"And that's it." Arthur spoke softly. Vitae listened to the whole story, only asking occasional questions and at the end, the tree stared, horrified.
"You really think he's Ivan?" She whispered and Arthur nodded.
"If he were the second one, I'd probably be dead, but for some reason he seems insistent on making me fall in love with him. I might have, but now I'm scared. What if I can't trust him? What if I've been wrong? What if there really is only one Ivan and he's trying to find reasons to kill me or punish me later on? I don't think I'd survive it." He glanced over and the tree frowned.
"You have a gift, Arthur. You have an ability to find the light in others. No one's noticed me here, but you walked right up to me. You can find the light." She smiled. "If it was the other, if it was the one who hurt you, I think you'd feel that darkness in him. You're stronger than you think." She smiled and Arthur looked over, his eyes wide in hope.
"You really think so?" He asked softly and she nodded.
"Go tell him you figured it out. Tell him you know the truth and ask why he didn't tell you sooner, but I think I already know." She giggled and Arthur turned, facing the trunk, seeing the face smiling back at him giggling in giddiness.
"Why?" He asked softly, an odd combination of hope and despair showing in his features and the tree giggled.
"Silly! He already molested you twice, and tried to kiss you! You were so terrified you knocked him out! Why do you think he'd not be scared of you finding out who he is? If he actually likes you, maybe he's hoping you'll fall enough that he can tell you eventually and you won't run screaming?" She smiled, the face spinning around the trunk of the tree before sliding back before Arthur. "Or maybe he's actually trying to be someone else while he's here? Maybe he's not telling you he's Ivan because he's trying to separate himself from the guy in Russia, even to himself?" She spoke and Arthur stared.
That was a brilliant deduction, and one he could easily see. Everyone around him right now HATED Ivan, so why would he want to admit he was actually him? "I think you may be on to something there. That's a grand deduction." He frowned, unable to find any major flaw in the decision. "Maybe I should go and ask him." Arthur started to stand, deciding there was no better time than the present, and the tree let out a chuckle.
"You're forgetting something, Arthur." She spoke and Arthur turned, seeing the twinkling eyes in the bark look up, and Arthur's eyes followed, finding a branch come down to him. Arthur watched, unsure of what was happening til the branch broke, snapping off a good long piece in his hand. "You need a new staff."
"Is this really alright? I didn't want you to be injured! Does it hurt?" He asked, his eyes shifting up to the part where the branch was torn and saw the sap drip out.
"A little, but I'll live. If you call out 'reanimate' in the language of your spells after it's done, my spirit can start to move between the staff and my main body, so I can be there if you ever need a friend." She smiled and Arthur stared, his eyes wide and glassy before he leaned forward and hugged the tree.
"Thank you, Vitae. It means the world to me." He smiled and backed away, wiping away a tear of happiness.
"Now go." She said, shooing him away. "Go and ask and learn. Tell me what you find out when you're done with the branch, alright?" She grinned and Arthur nodded.
Somehow he felt so much better than he had when he'd run out here.
He walked through the door, passing the doctor on the way out. "Hello." Arthur nodded, having not recognized him as he'd honestly been unconscious the whole time the man had worked on him and the doctor stilled, staring.
"You're the man who was brought in by the dragon, aren't you?" He asked and Arthur nodded, a bit surprised.
"Be careful if you're planning to stay around them too much. That's a very rambunctious group!" He shook his head as he walked away.
Arthur walked in, putting the branch by the door and turned to say hello to find Viktor staring in surprise at the couch. Arthur took a few steps forward and looked down, seeing familiar wheat blond hair, but the man beneath was covered in still rapidly healing bruises all over his naked body. "Oh! Alfred! Are you alright?! What happened?" He panicked and the man on the couch looked up, his eyes half open.
"I'm not Alfred. I'm Matthew." He smiled, his soft voice barely heard over Arthur's panicked breaths.
"Arthur, this is Alfred's brother, Matthew. He's the one he was calling Mattie earlier." Viktor spoke, his accent making him struggle with the nickname. Arthur stared before looking back down, seeing hazed violet eyes glancing back up at him.
"Sorry if I don't introduce myself properly, I don't know if I can stand yet." The young man smiled before coughing horribly and Arthur laid a hand on his chest.
"Hold up a tic, does it feel tight when you breathe?" He asked and Mattie nodded, looking down at Viktor with a sigh.
"Sorry to be hogging your couch like this." He offered an apologetic smile and Viktor shook his head with a frown.
"Nyet, it's fine, Matvey. Just heal up." Viktor spoke softly, leaning down to pat his leg by his ankle and looked up at Arthur with worry. "Is he alright?"
"I'm not sure. Let me see what I can do." Arthur laid his hands on Matthew's chest and closed his eyes, concentrating on the feeling of his breath, trying to feel where the tightness was and sighed. "It's a blood clot. Let me see if I can get it out and properly heal it." He whispered softly as he went in and pushed, forcing the clot out into the lung and slowly, as he was never much of a healer, took care of the wound. He lifted the blood clot and frowned. He lifted it up, keeping it suspended in the lung and whispered out. "Viktor, go get a glass of water." He mumbled and waited, hearing the water glass be put on the table behind him before he moved it up, through the trachea til it hit the esophagus and he quickly sat Matthew up, handing him the water. "Drink it quickly." He instructed and Matthew did as he was told, letting out a soft sigh once the clot was out of his system.
"That really helped. Thank you. Sorry to be a burden." He smiled and Arthur stood, shaking his head.
"It's not a problem. But..." Arthur turned to Viktor, crossing his arms and arching an eyebrow. The stance somehow reminded Viktor of an angry housewife and he stepped back with worry. "What is Alfred's brother doing here? Where is he now anyway?"
"Upstairs trying to comfort Yao, his boyfriend." Viktor spoke softly. "Turns out Ivan took two men to replace you. One to beat, the other..." He watched as Arthur's eyes widened in realization.
"Is he alright?" Arthur whispered and Viktor nodded.
"He will be. Unlike you, it wasn't a first for him, so he didn't suffer through as much pain." Viktor stepped forward, laying a hand on Arthur's shoulder. "You're alright, Da? Did you have enough time to think?"
"I, We need to talk, but I think now may not be the best time. Matthew shouldn't be left alone right now." He spoke softly and Mattie shook his head.
"I feel like I'm about to pass out anyway. Just bring me a blanket or something if you would." He spoke, but it had a slight plead, the look in his eye asked softly for the mercy of cover and warmth and Arthur nodded, quickly running up the stairs. He returned with a pair of his own sleeping pants, which may be too small for the man, but they had a drawstring so there was a chance, as well as a blanket and pillow.
"Ah, Merci beaucoup." Matthew whispered as he stood and slid the pants on. Arthur stared, realizing he was a bit taller than Alfred, almost as tall as Ivan, but as thin as could be. His hair was longer, soft waves in the dirty blond hair made soft curls at the top of his shoulders and a bit further down his back. It was long enough he could tie it back into a small tail and Arthur wondered why so many of the men in Ivan's company were either tough looking, like Alfred and Ivan himself, or thin and feminine, like Mattie and himself. "Now," Mattie laid down, adjusting the pillow and tossing out the blanket to cover himself, "You guys go ahead and talk, oui?"
"We?" Arthur turned to Viktor who laughed.
"Alfred and Matvey were raised by their mother, but were split up for a short bit after coming to the castle. While Alfred stayed in the main house primarily and learned from everyone, Matvey was mostly raised by the french ambassadors. He speaks quite a bit of french in his regular language." Viktor watched as Arthur nodded and turned back to Matthew with a smile.
"Rest well. If Alfred doesn't come down in a few hours I'll go ahead and make lunch and wake you then, if you're feeling up for it." Arthur winced, looking as the man nodded, a slight upturn to the corner of his mouth.
"Yes, thank you." He yawned before closing his eyes and drifting off easily.
Arthur looked down at him, trying to keep his breath steady before he turned to Viktor and nodded, honestly afraid of what was about to happen. He turned and walked up the stairs, the Russian following behind. They walked into the bedroom and Arthur stood, his hands clasped nervously before his lap, his eyes so intense and focused he worried he'd bore a hole through the floor. "What is your name?"
"You know my name." Viktor whispered. So he had figured it out after all.
"Why didn't you tell me the truth?" Arthur looked up, seeing Ivan step away, his own face looking down, ashamed and afraid.
"I hate him. I hate what that man is doing in my name. How can I agree to use the same name as him? He's hurting everyone. And after what I did to you before... I wanted you to learn to care about me. I never meant to have harm come to you. I didn't want you to worry I'd be like him." Ivan sniffed, fat tears rolling down his cheeks. "The more I'm around you, the more I hear, the more I realize I hurt you anyway, even though it wasn't intentional." He cried and Arthur stared. So the trees answers had both been right.
"Were you going to tell me the truth?" Arthur asked softly and Ivan nodded.
"I was, and I figured it would have to be soon, but I wanted a little more time before you hated me." Ivan sobbed out and Arthur realized it was really hurting him to admit these things.
Arthur sighed, sitting on the bed. "You can't do the same things you did before." He whispered. "I don't want to be handcuffed and not given a choice. That's why I was so hurt by your actions before, I wasn't allowed any say in them." Arthur watched as Ivan nodded, taking another step away. "Come and sit." He sighed, sliding a hand to his forehead. Ivan looked up, his eyes red rimmed and his hands shook before him. Arthur stared as Ivan quickly shuffled over, sitting beside him, but far enough away they weren't touching. He slid his hands between his knees, his eyes stuck still to the floor, though his chest shook with the quiet sobs he tried to calm. "I don't hate you." Arthur spoke and Ivan turned, surprised.
"You don't?" Ivan asked quietly, his lips still pouted, his cheeks glistening from hastily wiped tears.
"I don't. You may have been too quick with me, and not given me a choice in things, but at least you tried. You put in an honest effort to calm me when you realized what I was panicking about, and you were right. I didn't understand at all what was happening. No one had tried to do things like that with me before, and I didn't understand why you were. I didn't understand why my body responded to them. I was absolutely terrified." He watched as Ivan's tears started back up, his chest shaking harder. "The biggest problem I had, was I couldn't bring myself to hate it, but I couldn't not be angry, so I grew angry at myself. I was mad at how I responded. I was mad at my body for going against my will, and mad at my lack of experience in such situations." He watched Ivan closely as he spoke the next words.
"I was angry at you for not giving me a choice or a chance. If you would have treated me like a person instead of like a piece of property, I could have so easily found myself falling in love with you." He spoke, a sliver of sadness in his expression.
"So I have no chance anymore?" Ivan cried, already knowing the answer.
"I can't bring myself to hate you either." Arthur admitted and Ivan's eyes shot up to him, surprised. "I'm not saying it's definite, I'm not saying I will or even should love you, but I know that somehow to me you've become special." He admitted and Ivan started crying harder, this time out of happiness.
"Thank you!" He sniffled, wiping his nose on his sleeves and Arthur sighed.
"I'm not saying yes yet, you know." Arthur crossed his arms and Ivan nodded.
"But you didn't immediately say no, which I thought you would. I never would have thought you wouldn't immediately turn me away, and I'm so grateful for that!" Ivan cried harder. "Please, can I hug you?" he asked, knowing better now than to not give him an option.
Arthur stared, turning bright red in surprise before he looked down at his knees. "If you really want to." He nearly whispered and in a split second, he found himself on Ivan's lap, warm arms wrapped carefully around him, Ivan's cheek pressed to his.