Chapter 8

Sasha passed Piotr in the hallway. He walked through, a brilliant smile, though he held a hand over his left eye. "Everything alright?"

"Ah, dust. It was painful, so I had him get it out, Da?" Piotr grinned and Sasha stared. He stepped up to Piotr, poking his finger right into the middle of his chest, his eyes narrowed and growled at the man, actually startling him quite badly.

"You stay the hell away from Arthur. He's spoken for. You don't touch him, don't speak to him. Leave him in peace." Sasha warned and Piotr's eyes widened, shining.

"You say that as if I were the only one flirting. I'd like to remind you the other two in the cabin are volatile. They're dangerous. I'm not only befriending someone who really needs it, I'm helping keep him safe as well." Piotr spoke, his voice quiet, but instead of the threat Sasha's voice carried, Piotr's was more worried. "I only left when I did because it was... necessary, but I would never normally leave those three together. They would hurt him, you know. I won't. Remember that, please." Piotr spoke softly before running back down.

It only took Sasha a moment to reach Lukas, who sighed when he noticed the other enter the room. "What is it? I was about to go to bed."

"I need something to help Arthur sleep. He's been having trouble, and the mood lifters aren't working on him." Sasha sighed and Lukas frowned, thinking.

"If the mood lifters won't work, it's probably because of the toxins in his body. Sleep would probably be the second best option that medicine can do, but I'd recommend a vacation. He's overworking himself badly. He tore another muscle today." Lukas sighed as he shifted through a few drawers and handed Sasha a box and a bottle. "One teabag an hour before bed, one pill half an hour before bed. Between the two, he'll practically be in a coma, so he might not wake in the morning. You'll have to deal with that possibility."

"He won't take a vacation. Forcing him to sleep through would probably be fine, as long as we remember to give him his tea in the morning." Sasha sighed and Lukas nodded.

"You hold those. I have a feeling once he realizes what they do, he'll refuse to take them. Here, though, give him this one."

"What is it?" Sasha asked, looking at the small bottle in his hand with small pink pills.

"Another attempt at lifting his mood. If this one doesn't work, or if the... effects are too much, there's nothing else I can do." Lukas looked up into Sasha's eyes and he could tell.

The doctor was terrified of what was happening to the boy. "What is it you've noticed?"

"He metabolizes differently than everyone. The poison they tried to kill him with, it changed the way his body worked. He's so small because his body won't produce many of the hormones needed to pass into puberty. He'll always be small, and though his body will respond like an adult, muscle mass will never grow on him, no matter how much he tries or exercises. You should have noticed it by now. He looks more muscular, he's put on a little weight, but he's leaned down much more as well. He's plateaued and his body won't change more than it already has. If he works any harder, it'll start tearing him apart." Lukas sighed, turning to close the drawer he'd pulled the medicines from. "He only has you and Piotr right now. Ivan hasn't gone to see him at all, and it's really hurting him. He's mentally more broken down because he feels like Ivan's forgotten him. He may not have spent too much time with him, but for Arthur, he takes his slavery very seriously. He's starting to worry Ivan doesn't." He turned, seeing Sasha nod.

Every night he left the note for Ivan on his bedside table. Every night it was gone, but Sasha wasn't sure Ivan was reading them at all. He never left a return note, even though he had heard Arthur mention asking him questions. He really worried for the boy.

He'd have to fix this tonight. He'd go to Ivan and speak to him.

He made his way into the castle. He searched, finally finding Ivan in the kitchen, his feet kicked up on the table in a way Sasha had never seen him do before. "Ivan, we need to speak."

"Uh..." Ivan jumped up, looking around in a sudden panic. "Can't it wait?"

"No. Arthur's having trouble. A lot of it. He's fighting as hard as he can to make you proud. You told him to write you every day. He's told me he's written questions for you, but never once have you left a reply. He feels like you've abandoned him. He's terrified and you don't even seem to care!" Sasha yelled, watching as Ivan stared, shocked. "He's on five different medications. He's working so hard he's breaking himself apart physically and mentally and you can't even give him a reply! I didn't raise you to be like this, you little bastard!" Sasha yelled harshly.

"It's- uh..." Ivan looked away, crossing his arms. He turned around and sighed, shaking his head. "I'll join in the classes for the next week. I'll talk to him. Will this appease you?" He asked softly and Sasha frowned.

"I'm not the one you have to appease. He's taking this whole slavery thing very seriously. He's working as hard as he can to be someone you're proud to keep by your side. He's not even trying to make friends with his cabin mates. He's more worried about making you happy. If I could ever find someone who's as dedicated to me as he is to you, I'd fucking marry them, and here you are, blowing it off. Watching the sunset as he gets two more medications." Sasha held out the box and the bottle. Ivan stepped back, honestly horrified.

Sasha had always been kind and soft. This harsh, angry man was someone he wasn't familiar with.

"In the morning I'll come down and I'll spend the week. The whole week. You can set me up a room there, alright? I'll not run away. I'll not escape." Ivan watched with bated breath as Sasha stared, heartbroken.

"You're still not even worried about him, only me. Damn you, Ivan." Sasha spoke before he turned and walked away.

"Shit." Ivan grumbled before sliding on a cloak and running out of the room, hoping Lukas wouldn't kill him.

Sasha, figuring now would be the best time to give Arthur the news Ivan would be there in the morning rushed into the shower. It was empty. He made his way to the cabin and found the front door open, able to hear soft sobs from the private room. He stepped forward and knocked softly, hearing the crying stop. "Arthur?"

"I'm not... go away, please." Sasha frowned, opening the door and walked in, finding Arthur curled up on the bed, Piotr wrapped around him, his eyes angry on the man who walked through the door.

"God dammit, Piotr! What are you doing?!" Sasha stepped forward, ready to punch him when Arthur curled up and screamed, shaking all over. Piotr grasped him and pulled him to his lap, softly running a hand over his hair as Arthur fought.

"No! I don't want to soil you!"

"I'll get a new uniform! Arthur, you're safe now. You're safe." His words were soft, though the eyes he had trained on Sasha were furious. "I was in the medic's office, you were gone, and you'd told him to get a shower. I warned you, Sasha. I warned you the other two were dangerous." Piotr spoke with venom in his tone.

Sasha stared, seeing the trembling mess of a man before him and realized. "Oh, god..." He ran forward, looking him over. A bit on his neck. He could see the blood trail left on the bed and clasped his hands over his mouth in shock for a moment before he realized what needed to be done. He grabbed him and took off running, Piotr right behind him.

"Go to bed."

"No. I'll not leave him alone." The raven haired man yelled, running step by step with the other. They made it to the gateway and the door was locked. Sasha was surprised when Piotr grabbed the man from his arms and looked up.

"He's probably gone to bed. Go and get him."

"Give me him back." Sasha warned and Piotr frowned.

"You can run faster without him." He spoke and Sasha hated it. He was right, it was the rational choice, but he still hated it horribly.

He ran down and found Lukas' room empty and ran back to try and plan what to do himself, but came back to the hallway empty. He walked up and heard the sounds at the doorway and was surprised to find Ivan rushing into the hallway.

"Where's Piotr?"

"He's in there. Sasha, I hoped you'd figure it out. Why didn't you realize first?"

"Realize what?" Sasha stared, confused as to what was going on.

Ivan stepped forward, grasping Sasha by the matching scarves they both wore. Ivan looked him dead in the eyes and stared. "Who am I, Sasha?! Why haven't you realized who I am?!" He yelled and Sasha stared, realizing three things all at once.

He didn't care about Arthur at all. Not positive, not negative.

He was thin. Much thinner than Ivan had been since he was 12.

The eyes that stared back at him were black.

He had to look down into his brother's eyes.

Suddenly so many little things made themselves apparent in his eyes and Sasha stared, dumbstruck. "Nikolai?!"

"You finally realized it, didn't you?" He stared. "Ivan hasn't been overbearingly busy! I'm not running all over the damned country to help people! That's your thing! Between the two of us we've been working our asses off being three different people, and now, thanks to those little shits in that cabin, all of our plans have backfired! The whole situation has gone straight to hell! I want those little bastards brought to me! NOW!" Nikolai yelled out and Sasha, completely bypassing the chain of command over the anger of his little brother, ran.

The boys were brought up in shackles. They joked, laughing about how no one was ever severely punished for rape in boot camp. They stilled when they saw Nikolai standing outside the doorway, a coat a few sizes too large and a long scarf falling off over his shoulder.

"I understand it now." Sasha stared. "That's why you were with Lukas. That's why HE was with Lukas! And he had to find him like that..." Sasha started to panic, honestly realizing the whole situation.

"In." Nikolai growled at the two boys as they went into the room. A divider held the workings on of Arthur from their eyes as Lukas checked for severe damage and try and stop the bleeding. Sasha and Nikolai stood at the doorway, watching as the two stepped forward, staring as Piotr cried, holding Arthur's hand.

"I'm so sorry! I never should have left your side! I shouldn't have done any of this! I'm so sorry!" He nearly blathered nonstop while Arthur looked up at him with bright eyes, for the first time in days looking like he wasn't broken apart on the inside.

"It's alright. It wasn't your fault." Arthur whispered with a soft smile. "It's alright, Master." He whispered and Piotr stilled.

"The hick farmer was his master the whole time?" Alexi chuckled as Nikolai reached out, smacking him in the back of the head.

"You told him?" Sasha asked and Piotr turned, shaking his head.

"It's his eyes. They may be blue, but they're the same. They look the same, and he always shows his emotions there. It only took a second after he found me for me to realize, but I think I was in denial til I saw Nikolai in here." Arthur mumbled, clasping to Piotr's hand. "I'm sorry it took so long to recognize you, Master." Arthur hummed as Piotr turned to Nikolai, holding out his hand.

"This farce is finished, then." He sighed as Nikolai gave him a dropper. He put a drop into his right eye and the two boys watched in confusion as black hair lightened. His back grew larger.

"I knew it was you." Arthur whispered as Ivan turned, startling the men.

"You didn't just rape an innocent man. He was working twice as hard as you, not even considering he was both in three extra classes as well as the magician. You also stole something important from the king." Nikolai spoke softly, watching as both men stood straighter, shaking now becoming apparent in their arms.

"You were warned not to harm him. You were told to leave him be. An official notice from the king's desk warned you two not to touch him!" Ivan stood, taking in the faces of the two boys who both realized how small they suddenly were.

"He's just a slave!" Alexi yelled, trying to grasp to reason as the situation quickly spiraled out of his hands and understanding. "Why would you care?! You've probably taken him yourself!"

Ivan's hand reached out smacking him hard enough to send him to the floor.

"A slave isn't intended to such things! A slave is a part of you that reaches beyond your own hands! They're your messenger, your servant, your other part! I sent him here to learn! To make him understand how things work here and THIS is what he comes back with the memory of!" Ivan yelled. Everyone in the room stared, surprised at the irate king, the boys before him realizing something.

"I'm sorry, your highness." Dmitri fell to his knees. "We misunderstood the meaning of the word 'slave'. It's quite obvious it means something different to you than it does to us."

"It seems your definition has changed as well, Ivan." Sasha watched, unable to break a slight smile from his face. "You would never have said such romantic words when you left last month."

Ivan sighed, sitting back down and laid his head on Arthur's shoulder. "When I said I'd take him as my slave, I expected him to be much more... terrified. Instead he took it as a learning situation. He tried to teach me about himself, and started learning about me as well. I realized at that time we had different views on what a slave was, and started looking up definitions and stories. When I realized what he was thinking of as a slave, I couldn't turn it down." He looked up, into soft emerald eyes and sighed. "When you're the king, there's a certain amount of strength and pride you can never drop. You can never let anyone see you being weak. Something as simple as someone to be by your side even then... it's priceless. I knew he took his job seriously. I never intended it to hurt him so gravely. To be violated in such a way, subdued and taken as a woman by two men who know no hurt, no suffering, I think they deserve to find out what it's like."

Ivan stood and walked up to the two boys, a dark grin breaking across his face as he bent down and looked them both in the eyes. "Nikolai, take them down to the jail. Tell the jailor that any man who is capable is allowed to do as they wish with these two in turn for the next three days."

"Please, your highness! Don't do this!" Alexi yelled as Nikolai laughed, grasping them both by the back of their collars and hoisted them to their feet. Nikolai may have been the shortest of the three brothers, but by no means was he weak. Their startled cries met the ears of everyone in the room and Sasha stared, horrified by what his brother had just spoken.

"That's too much, Ivan. You went too far with this."

"No, I think not. Sasha, go round up around one hundred men from the village. Have those two locked in a cell and for three days while the men are brought in one at a time. They look them over then tell the jailer to release them, as they're too ugly to touch." He spoke and Sasha stared.

"That's horrible." Sasha stared before a bright smile lit his face. "I keep forgetting you're a genius. I better hurry before Nikolai gets them raped."

"I'm half tempted to go down after the three days and do that myself. They need punished, but it just doesn't feel like it's enough."

"Master..." Arthur looked up, worry evident in his eyes.

"Go on, Sasha. Hurry to the jailor." Sasha nodded, looking with sad contemplation before he ran.

Ivan lowered himself back to Arthur's side, softly grasping his hand. "If there's anything I can do to make this up to you, please, let me know."

"Don't touch them, then. That's all I ask." Arthur spoke softly and Ivan stared, a slight smile coming to his face.

"Is my little kitty being jealous?" He asked and Arthur turned pink, looking away.

"It's not like that." He spoke softly, but neither Ivan or Lukas believed him.