Chapter 6
"But the Commander kicked him in the stomach hard. He has to be in pain!" One of the men yelled, freaking out as Arthur sat, unmoved from the spot he'd been kicked at, though he'd sat up. He kept his legs tucked under himself, his hands on his lap and to the surprise of the men around him, though blood was coming from his mouth, he refused medical treatment. Sasha even tried to convince him he should be seen and Arthur simply shook his head.
"I did something wrong. I angered him and now I have to suffer through it. I forgot my place and became too familiar with the people around me. I am not a friend. I do not have a free will. I need to learn to remember, and this lesson will serve me well." Arthur spoke softly. "I am a slave. I should be glad Nikolai has punished me, and hope Master doesn't come to do so as well."
"What did he do wrong?"
"I don't understand either, but he's really scared. His hands are shaking."
"I'd be shaking too if the Commander kicked me. I'd probably be dead."
"You're a slave, but you're still a person. Remember this, Arthur. We joke and we pick to make you smile, because we know you're still a person. You feel pain, just like the rest of us. Please, let me see."
"I can't let you see me!" Arthur gasped, wrapping his hand over his side as he stood and limped away. "I'll be fine, just let me heal it on my own!" He pleaded and Sasha frowned.
"You would be put behind the others in boot camp! It would make you useless for an extra six weeks! Do you really want to see how many other fun outfits I can find for you, little kitty?" Sasha stared and Arthur turned back, tears in his eyes.
"I can't deal with the pain from cuts!" He yelled. "They cut me open and stitch me back together again like some rag doll and I can't block out that pain!" He cried and Sasha frowned.
"Why would you be cut open for a broken bone?" He stepped forward, grasping Arthur's arm so that he couldn't run, seeing as he looked absolutely terrified.
"They can't heal a bone from outside the body! Everyone knows that! They cut you open and bandage the break in stone. After it dries they sew you back together and hope you don't die of infection! I've had it happen three times! I can't do it again!" He cried and Sasha grasped him, holding him still.
"Sit back down. If you don't, I will make sure you're punished for disobedience." He growled and Arthur nodded and winced as he lowered himself into a chair. He shook like a leaf as one of the men came in, nearly dragging Lukas behind him.
"Broken bone?"
"Not sure." Sasha spoke softly as Lukas turned and saw the face of the man who's feet he'd healed the night before.
"Your feet feeling better?" He asked and Arthur nodded, barely breathing through the terror. "Why aren't you breathing?"
"I guess they don't use magic in medicine in the land of Ire. He says he's been cut open three times to assist with broken bones. Have you ever heard of this?" Sasha asked and Lukas just stared, his eyes wide.
"They used to... plaster the bone. It was before medicine came to what it is today, but if that's true..." Lukas slid a set of black glasses over his eyes and looked over Arthur. "Your left arm, your left leg, your neck... you have a cracked rib, but you'll be alright." Lukas slid the glasses down, staring at the pale, shivering man before him. "Did they at least numb the area?"
"No. They refused." Arthur mumbled. "The medications were expensive, and for a simple orphan..." Arthur looked down, staring at his feet. "You won't have to cut me open, then?" He looked up, hopeful and Lukas shook his head.
"No. I would never..." Lukas stared, looking horrified. His gaze shifted to Sasha who watched with wonder. "Can I steal him for an hour or two? I need to check his... eyes."
"Ah, that. Yes, and please let both me and his master know the results." Sasha smiled, feeling a little more relieved now that Arthur was going to calm down and get looked over. "Also, check him for pain tolerance. He took a kick from a pissed off Nikolai without complaint, but seems scared of being cut."
"I think I already know what's caused that, but I'll check." Lukas nodded as he grasped Arthur's hand and gently lead him from the room.
Arthur was surprised to see some of the things in Lukas' office. Many types of glasses, and though there were small surgical knives, they were tucked out of the way and Arthur barely paid them attention over everything else. "What is this place?" Arthur's voice came out in a whispered tone, showing his enchantment at the room.
"Arthur, I need to ask you something. I've noticed before you can use magic. I know that's why your eyes work, and why you're alive now. Was magic, where you were from, a taboo?" Lukas asked, watching as the blond before him stilled and turned, nodding softly. "You hid your abilities to the best of your knowledge and now you don't know how to handle it when everyone here is proud of their magic, right?" Arthur nodded again. "And that's part of the reason you felt it was alright to transport with Nikolai." Green eyes shifted to the floor, obvious guilt showing across his face.
"I didn't know he'd be angry. I was proud. I'd never seen anyone happy when I used magic before and I let it get away from me."
"Nikolai has a different mother from his brothers. She was from the same lands you're from. She honestly didn't have magic, but when Ivan's father went to try and find the church that had killed his wife, he was surprised to find a woman on the streets. She was young and starving. He felt bad and hired her on as a maid, but ended out falling in love with her. While King Vadim was full of magic, she absorbed it. She gave birth to Nikolai and died within the hour. It was discovered he was to be born with magic, but her rejection of it not only absorbed all ability from him, but it killed her as well. He can't handle when others use magic on him. It causes a panic each time." Lukas explained and Arthur stared.
"I need to apologize when I see him next." Arthur frowned, looking down. It seemed the wives in Russia didn't survive long.
"You'll be fine. I think you'll find when he's calmed down, Nikolai isn't nearly as scary as you think. He loves his brothers dearly, and is probably a little jealous you're going to be able to so freely stay by Ivan's side." He giggled and Arthur stared, honestly a bit confused for a moment before turning away. "There are many things you don't realize are drastically different between Ireland and Russia. As you learn, you'll start to be able to break through the misunderstandings. Remember, the whole world for you has changed. Medicine is an example of that. While I've been speaking to you, I've performed half of the tests I needed to do, just by switching through glasses." Lukas watched as Arthur stared, starstruck.
"That's amazing!"
"It's normal here. Look." Lukas took a pair of glasses and slid them over Arthur's eyes. Arthur stared at Lukas, seeing blue and red veins spread out through his body.
"A heart..." Arthur stared. He'd seen this written in books, but just a few seconds taught him more than any book ever could. "I can see your veins, your heart... and a clot?" He stared, seeing a small worm looking thing in a vein. "It's right here." He tried to point, realizing without the glasses Lukas couldn't see it. "Magic... hold on a second." Arthur held out his hands, one flat while the other slowly laid over Lukas' heart. He remembered the magic he used to transport. It would be the same thing, only moving the clot instead of his whole body.
It turned out it was harder than he imagined, but he was able to pull the clot out and it moved to his hand. Arthur watched, seeing Lukas gasp, leaning back for a moment. Arthur tore off the glasses and stood, panicking, worried he'd done something wrong when Lukas grasped tightly to his shoulders.
"Dizzy!" He yelped out and sat for a moment before he started to feel better.
He felt great!
"I had a blood clot?" Lukas asked and Arthur held it up, showing the small, red thing. "It really was. You may have just saved my life. Thanks." Arthur smiled, happy he was able to finally feel like he'd done something right.
It was only an hour later they came back to the barracks and Lukas dropped Arthur back into Sasha's care.
"He has a high level of toxicity in his spine. He may hallucinate for the rest of his life due to the levels, but it shouldn't be too troubling. He knows what he does and does not see. He does sleepwalk, which was already mentioned in the papers I was sent this morning. That may be more problematic, as he doesn't have any control during those times, but I think for now all we can do is wait and hope he doesn't go rogue." Lukas spoke as he handed a copy of the file to Sasha, who stared at the boy before him. "Also, he's only sixteen. It may be part of the reason he's so small. If he hasn't actually hit puberty yet..."
"No, he's just small. It's fine, I don't think he'd have been taken if he were more manly." Sasha giggled, which started the other into his own fit. Arthur wasn't sure what was happening, but had an odd feeling that was for the best.
"Just make sure you check him with this at the end of each day. He can't tell if he's injured, and this can see inflammation." A small set of glasses was handed over and Sasha held them up to his eyes, getting a look over the man before him.
"Ah, you look tense. I can see now why you're always freaking out. Maybe a relaxant would be for the best?"
"Tea bags are already being sent to the mess hall. Three cups a day. Morning, noon and at bedtime." Lukas grinned and Sasha held out his hand to shake.
"You're a lifesaver." He smiled brightly and Arthur watched, realizing the smiles they carried were genuine. They were kind people. They weren't angry, they didn't look down on him for being a slave. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as he heard it would be. After all, if everything else in the books he'd read were wrong, maybe the rest of the world's views on slavery were as well. Only one way to find out, and that was to try. Sasha's eyes shifted down, taking in the pleased appearance and he could only smile. Things were drastically different for Arthur, and he'd try his best to make sure this world would be better than the last one he was in. "Come on, Mister Fairy. Time for exercises."
"Yes, Sir!" Arthur nodded and Lukas watched in shock as they left to the outdoor training grounds.
"Mister... Fairy?"
By lunch time Arthur felt his arms shake, his legs almost lacking in any strength to keep him upright. He looked around, seeing the others talk and joke, not nearly in as bad condition. He was so weak! He hated it! He sat and nibbled at the food, drinking the tea that Lukas had prescribed. It was hot, but something about the taste set his mind at ease. It was better than the tea he was used to by a long shot. Because of his tested abilities he'd been set into a group of four. They were for the most part going to be by his side til boot camp was over. A soldier, a strategist, a doctor and a magician.
He'd gotten the position as the magician. Sasha told him he'd actually scored in the top three percent for each type, except soldier, but they had an abundance of strategists and doctors. He also noticed the three he'd done the tests with that day were spread out, and none of them looked pleased with their results.
"So, Mister Fairy, you're our magician?" One of the men spoke, looking with curiosity at the tea he sipped.
"Indeed. It'll be a pleasure to work with you all." Arthur smiled and the three looked between each other with surprise before laughing.
"The magician is a shit spot, you realize. You're going to be worked ragged while the rest of us can think our way through tasks, you'll be forced to work twice as hard to complete the same tasks." One of the men watched as Arthur shrugged.
"I do as Sasha tells me. I'll do what I can to make my master proud, and if that means working the hardest, then I'll do my best." he spoke softly before taking another sip, finishing off the cup of tea. He stared, surprised as he looked into the glass, not having realized he'd already drank it.
"I'm Dmitri. I'm the Doctor." A tall, dark haired man smiled down at Arthur, holding out his hand to shake. Arthur shook it with a smile. Dmitri was about as tall as Nikolai, but was covered in muscle. He looked like a brick wall. He had nearly black eyes and a grin that made Arthur wonder if he'd be trouble.
"I'm Alexi, the Strategist." Another held out his hand. He was the same height as Dmitri, but with short, blond hair, almost the same color as Arthur's. He was thin, built almost like Sasha, but he looked a bit thinner. He had bright blue eyes that seemed to take in everything. It surprised Arthur to find that his eyes alone made him look calculating.
"And I'm Piotr, the Soldier." The third held out his hand. Arthur stared, confused for a moment. His facial shape and muscular structure looked just like Ivan. He had blue eyes and black hair, his skin was almost olive, and though there were other small differences, he looked almost exact. "What's wrong, Mister Fairy? You look confused."
"Sorry, you look a lot like someone else I know." He spoke softly and Piotr looked surprised before an innocent smile came to his face.
After lunch they went to a dojo, learning to fight and Arthur could say with one hundred percent certainty, Piotr was not Ivan. Three times in a row Arthur had been able to pin him to the mat. Sasha looked ready to try and change the places for Arthur and Piotr, seeing as he'd scored higher in the magician's tests than in the soldiers, and Arthur, whether he'd admit it or not was showing great ability as a soldier, as long as you remembered he had the strength of a butterfly.
After the dojo they went to do classwork to learn more about their jobs, the world of the military and everything else. Arthur watched with rapt attention through the meeting, his eyes wide and his interest caught as each word was spoken.
When the classroom let out, Sasha sighed, wondering again if he should change Arthur's skill set to the Strategist, as he'd out-thought his own strategist in seconds. As the class let out Arthur stretched, feeling content from the day.
Somehow, instead of the tears Sasha had been promising at the beginning of the day, he found it invigorating to make it through the classes. "Mister Fairy, we're going to the commissary to get a few things. Would you like to come with us?" Piotr asked and Arthur frowned.
"I'd love to, but I have another class to make it to." He spoke and Piotr stared, confused.
"But classes are over." He glanced over to Dmitri, who shrugged.
"Master has told me to do more studying after the classes let out each day. I have so much to learn, after all." Arthur smiled, feeling more pride pour into himself. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"We'll all be in the same quarters. We'll see you when we return." Dmitri spoke up and Arthur frowned shaking his head.
"I was ordered to my own quarters. I think my Master wants me to have as few distractions as possible." He spoke and Piotr frowned.
"That's too bad. I was looking forward to speaking more with you." He sighed and Arthur looked up with surprise.
"I'll see you at dinner, right?"
"Da! You will!" Piotr smiled again and Arthur couldn't help but chuckle. "Maybe if you've read enough we can hang out after dinner then?"
"We'll see. I'll have to find out what I'm even learning at this point." He was getting excited over it. "Til then." He smiled and offered a kind bow.
"До свиданья!" Piotr smiled and Arthur nodded.
"До свиданья." He turned and walked away, happy there was another word he understood.