Chapter 18

Ivan sat atop his throne, his brothers at his sides, the other instructors being told to finally earn their paychecks. Winter stared ahead, for the first time he could ever remember, the look in the king's eyes terrified him. "What is the meaning of this call to court?" Winter asked, knowing with such unforgiving eyes it would be much wiser not to anger the man before him.

"A note was received at midnight last night that my slave had wandered off twice, once to the docks on the other side of town, and once in an attempt to jump from the roof of the building." Ivan leaned forward, his elbow resting against the arm of the throne, his knuckles elegantly sliding beneath his chin as his legs crossed at the ankle. "It recommended he be kicked from Boot Camp as a danger to himself, and to myself if he were allowed to continue." Ivan's eyes scanned the group, all staring at him in wonder. "I need to know who sent it and why."

"You know perfectly well that notices like that are given anonymously. There's no way-" Winter was cut off as Ivan's voice rasped out, sending chills through everyone's spines.

"They are a traitor." Ivan glared right into Winter's eyes. "The notice was received at midnight. Arthur was found on the roof at two. Someone is trying to kill my slave, and a possible member of my Assassin's Squad. I need to know why." His gaze didn't waver, watching as Winter stared ahead blankly. He thought through what was happening and turned to the room, his head down.

"If you have children on the roster to try out for the Assassin's squad, please raise your hand." Winter spoke out and the group mumbled.

"It's always been anonymous before!"

"It feels like the chain of command is being broken."

"You don't need to give in to his pressure, General."

"Shut up, all of you stuck up, arrogant, useless pigs. The job of City Council is to assist the king with the city, to make sure the work gets done and to make sure the central castle is cared for. If he's acting unreasonably, we're allowed to step in to take over on minor details. This is by no means a minor detail if he's going to be trying out for the Assassin's squad. If you have family trying out, raise your hand, or so help me I'll show up next week and if your child shows up I'll gut them at the gate." Winter's words shut them all up immediately, only three hands raising. "What is your child's name?"

"My grandson, Antonio Vargas."

"It's not him. Next." Ivan barked out and Winter turned, surprised.

"My son, Vladimir Popescu." Another man spoke and they were surprised to not hear Ivan bark out words this time. He waited while the last one sniffed.

"My... daughter. Natalia." He spoke softly and the group looked at him in shock.

"A woman on the Assassin's Squad?" Winter asked and the man nodded.

"She's not gone to the boot camp, though she knows all of the manuals by heart. She's been trained by the best tutors. She's not on a team, but is trying out individually."

The rest of the group started staring, chatting about the scandal. A woman trying out for the squad wasn't unheard of, but individually, it would be much harder for her than the rest. Ivan could hear whisper that it was probably him and Ivan stood, stomping his foot. The room silenced instantly.

"Bring me your children, now." He spoke and the three nodded.

"Not you." He pointed to Antonio's grandfather. "Since Arthur would be joining your son's team, there's no reason to have him removed from the school." Ivan watched as Antonio's grandfather nodded and sighed with relief at the loss of suspicion from himself.

"It's curious." Winter spoke, coming to the center of the room. "You've been missing nearly since your arrival, making all comments out of sight. Were you in town the whole time?"

"Indeed." Ivan responded, returning to the throne. "I've been near the castle the whole time. I've been hiding for my mental health, which has been wavering as of late with things like this happening." Ivan watched as the other man's eyes widened, getting his implied meaning.

"I'm sorry, your highness. This matter will be stricken from the record and removed immediately. If he poses no danger, there's no reason for it. My humblest apologies." Winter bowed down and Ivan glared.

"Stand up, General Winter. I knew from the moment I heard it wasn't you. Whoever did this listed Arthur as my slave, while all members of the court that evening knew he'd been reclassified as a pet." Ivan stared as Winter stood and looked up with contemplation.

"You think one of the children stole the papers." He nearly whispered and Ivan nodded.

"I see no other way, especially since it seems no one on your team wrote the letter." Ivan watched as Winter turned and looked each man in the eye, each shaking their head no. "When you asked why we were here, no one else knew. I could see it in their eyes. With the note sent, it would be obvious to them why we were here. They wouldn't show the same surprise." Ivan sat up, watching as a boy ran in, his father right behind. He noticed the boy was one from the boot camp.

Ivan stood, hoping to make himself unrecognizable, since the only difference between himself now and at the school was skin, eye and hair color. "Vladimir Popescu, I presume." Ivan spoke, his voice a deep growl, startling the others in the room.

"Yes, your highness! It's a pleasure!" He grinned, bowing low. Shoulder length red hair brushed against his shoulders, a small bowler hat with a ribbon on the side of the crown of his head. He wore a longer jacket, the same shade of red as his eyes, almost like blood, though he wore the pants and boots of the boot camp.

"Do you know Arthur Kirkland, also known as Mister Fairy or Kitten?" Ivan asked and the members of the City Council all blanched at the nicknames.

"He's the blind kid, right?" He looked up as Ivan turned away.

"Indeed. Do you know anything about him? Anything at all?" Ivan sat in the throne, covering the bottom half of his face with his hand.

"He's a slave, I think to a farmer. He's an amazing magician, and a great doctor as well. Very talented." He thought, trying to remember if there was anything else.

"Oh! I don't know if it's true or not, but I heard he goes to see Lukas every night because he's a vampire and has to get blood!" He spoke with an oddly delighted grin on his face.

"Were you aware he was going to attempt to join the Assassin's Squad this year?" Ivan kept a close eye on the boy's expression.

His eyes widened. He swallowed hard before his eyebrows tilted up, showing confusion and depression. "He's a farmer's slave. Is the farmer coming along as well? I don't want to have to fight him! If I knew he was considering it, I would have asked him to join me!" The man sighed, sitting hard on the floor. "I don't have a squad. He would have been great to ask to join me." Ivan watched before standing.

"It wasn't him." Ivan grumbled. The only one left was Natalia.

She came in probably fifteen minutes later with her father. She walked up to the podium and curtseyed before standing in a very strict manner. Ivan's eyes roved over the girl. She was dainty, but honestly pretty. "How may I assist you, My King?" She asked, her voice a little deeper than expected, but not by entirely too much.

"Do you know of a man by the name of Arthur Kirkland? He's also known as Mister Fairy and Kitten."

"I do not." She spoke, and honestly Ivan couldn't read her. She was like a wall.

Ivan sighed and looked up, seeing any hope he had on finding who had done this gone. "Know this, Council. Tell your families so they know as well. If any more harm comes to Alfred, or if any more attempts are made against him, I will kill you all, and your families will be next." He spoke, staring each one in the eye, including Natalia who didn't even flinch.

She had courage, if nothing else.

Ivan watched as the group scrambled out of the room, the twelve members of the court and Natalia, who seemed a little flat as she left the room. Ivan watched with curiosity before turning and walking through the doorway that lead to the wing near the school.

"I know exactly who Arthur is." Ivan heard and turned, seeing Vladimir watching him with a sly smile, hiding behind the door frame casually with his arms crossed, one foot pressed to the wall behind his other knee. "He's your slave, right, Piotr?"

It was a split second til both Sasha and Nikolai held blades to his throat and he looked between them with a roll of the eye. "If I was dangerous, I wouldn't have spoken first." He mumbled and the two looked at each other before pulling their blades back, but not putting them away. "I know exactly what you want to know, and I know the truth behind it." He spoke, standing away from the wall.

"You want something in return." Ivan watched as the boy nodded, his smile falling a little before he looked over and it crept back up.

"I need my sister to be saved." He looked up, his smile sliding off a little, giving the feeling he was horribly nervous.

"I won't harm your sister." Ivan stated slowly, unsure of the situation.

"No, not from you. From Dad. He's trying to marry her off to this guy. He killed his last wife. I don't want to see her end out the same way." Vladimir looked away with a frown. "I don't have the money to send her away, or I would. I just want her to be safe." He spoke softly and Ivan watched.

"It'll depend on what you have to tell me. If it's good information, it won't be a problem." Ivan watched, seeing Vladimir's eyes shift back up to his, obvious hesitation in his eyes. "If it saves Arthur, I'll keep her safe, even if it's just as a maid in the castle."

"She's the one who did it." He spoke and Ivan jumped up, a bit startled at the admittance. "She tried to frame Dad. If it was found out he'd done it, and since I was his reason, he'd likely be executed. If he's executed, she's free from the promise he made on her behalf." Vladimir watched.

"What proof do you have?"

"Easy, Arthur wasn't found at two, he was found at midnight, just when the note was dropped off." Vladimir watched as Nikolai frowned, shaking his head.

"Nyet, it was two. I found him myself."

Vladimir pulled a spyglass from his pocket and smiled. "What time is it right now?" He asked, leaving the rest of the group to turn and look at the clock. "Ten, right?" He asked and they turned, nodding. "Nikolai, which room is yours? What time does it say in your room right now?" Vladimir handed the spyglass over, watching as Nikolai turned to warn Sasha to keep an eye on him. He turned and held the glass up, finding his window and seeing his tick-down panel clock on his bedside table. "How does it read all zeros?"

"The one is blocked. Probably with tape. It'll probably fade off around eleven, when she wakes up and summons it back. She tried to make it look like everything was done beforehand. Since you woke up and were out of your room before now, there's no way you'd notice, right?"

"Your sister was in my room?" Nikolai turned and Vladimir nodded.

"While you were sleeping she probably conditioned you to wake up and go to the roof." He frowned, staring.

"How do you figure that one?" Ivan asked, now honestly interested in this whole situation.

"Do you go to the roof every time you wake up in the middle of the night?" Vladimir asked, raising an eyebrow and Nikolai frowned.

He never had before, now that it was mentioned. "She probably woke you up, walked him up there and waited til you came up." He watched as Nikolai frowned.

"If he was being held, that explains why he didn't automatically fall off of the edge when he fell. She was holding him on the wall." Nikolai looked over to Ivan who raised an eyebrow.

"So he was never actually in any harm." Ivan pointed out and Vladimir nodded.

"She may be confused and scared, but she wouldn't kill an innocent man. That's beyond her." Vladimir watched as Ivan thought.

"I need hard proof, though. Something besides the walk to the roof."

"You can run and get the tape, but on its own, that's not much." Vladimir frowned, thinking. "The original letter that was sent to the school. Is there any way to trace it back?"

"No." Ivan sighed. "It's protected for anonymity. Unless..." Ivan frowned and his eyes shifted over. "Nikolai, go retrieve Lukas. Tell him to bring the letter with him." Ivan grinned as he made his way back to the throne and sat, contemplating.

"Vladimir, if you tell anyone I'm Piotr..."

"That would kill my chances as an Assassin's Squad member, Your Highness." Vladimir bowed low. "Of course I wouldn't."

It was only a few minutes til Lukas ran in, the letter under hand. "Here." He handed the letter over and Ivan watched seeing him gasping for air.

"Busy day, I'm taking it?"

"Someone started a fight, four kids all jumped in, now I have five guys resting in the hospital room. I actually have another student holding them down for me while I'm gone, so forgive me for handing this to you," He stepped forward and slid the letter into his hand, "And asking if there's anything else you need before running back."

"How do you know the time the letter came in?"

"It's a magic seal in the mail slot beside my door. It marks any paper coming through with the time." He reached up and turned the letter over, pointing before standing back again.

"That's all. Good luck with the fight."

Lukas offered a scandalous grin before turning and running. Ivan glanced over to Nikolai who sighed. "Arthur was in the clinic, wasn't he?" Ivan sighed, feeling his stomach twist.

"He was the one who stopped the fight and is holding them all down now. For a little shit, he is powerful." Nikolai walked up, Vladimir and Sasha all closing around Ivan as he pulled out the letter and stared.

"She doesn't know how to cover her handwriting. This is our win." Ivan grinned. "Vladimir, bring your sister to me." Ivan smiled as the other nodded and ran, his goofy expression melting off quickly.

"Do you believe him?" Ivan asked Nikolai.

"He's a good liar, sir. It's hard to tell, honestly. Keep your wits about this situation." Nikolai frowned, though something in his gut told him this was alright.

"I think a brother would do much to protect a sister, especially one he believes is in trouble. We should at least hear him out." Sasha smiled, patting Ivan on the head, seeing that dangerous look he'd had in his eyes all day slip away a little. "You're so much cuter as Piotr." Sasha sighed.

"The only difference is the hair and eye color." Ivan crossed his arms and Sasha shook his head.

"You're calmer as him. You don't look angry almost ever, while you can't even be Ivan for five minutes before you look like you're ready to behead someone." Sasha watched the other's expression. "Arthur is good for you. He helps you out more than you realize."

"You're wrong." Ivan sighed, looking over with worry turning his brow. "I know how much he's helping me. That's why I'm doing all of this. I need him to stay with me. I can't let him go." Ivan watched with worry, not knowing how Sasha would really feel about this.

The king should have a queen, after all. Not another king.

"Ivan, I know what you're doing. Setting him up as a knight in the court, freeing him, it's obvious." Sasha smiled, patting him on the head. "Just make sure you're happy, right?"

"You know the City Council won't approve." Ivan mumbled, nervous.

"Then threaten to leave. Pass the throne. It has to stay in the family. Nikolai won't take the throne as long as you're alive, and you know they won't accept me as king." Sasha grinned. "Push them into a corner, right?" Sasha let out a chuckle, watching as Ivan stared, surprised.

"You won't be angry with me?" He asked and Sasha realized this had been worrying him.

"Do you remember why they won't accept me as king?" Sasha smiled, watching his brother with wide, excited eyes. Ivan nodded.

"You told them if they didn't cave to your demands to legitimize Nikolai you'd surrender to Estonia." Ivan smiled. "It created a stir since we weren't even at war." Ivan chuckled.

"Sometimes making a little trouble is needed. It's important to remember that your happiness is more important to us than the country is to them. Don't do it often, but if it's really important to you, if it's something you feel you can't live without, then do it, Da?" Sasha smiled, watching as Ivan nodded, wiping a tear from his eye.

"Spasibo." Ivan leaned against Sasha, feeling Nikolai's hand softly pat his back.

It was about twenty minutes later a knock was heard at the door and Ivan stared, surprised. No one knocked at the throne room door. He almost chuckled as he called out. "Come in?" He looked over, confused at Sasha, who shrugged as he nibbled on the sandwiches that had been brought out. Nikolai leaned back in his throne, his legs kicked over the chair as he tore into a turkey leg.

Vladimir pushed the doors open, surprised at how light it was. He turned and waved, two women coming in, their hands crushed together. They walked up to the dais and knelt down, pressing their hands to their knees, showing their subservience in the situation.

"I am Elizabeta Héderváry, your highness. I am Vladimir's sister." One of the two spoke, though almost too softly to hear.

"And I'm Ida Densen. I... I planned this out. It was my fault." The other spoke softly.

Elizabeta was thin and dainty, a green maid's outfit that came below the knees with a white apron and white puffed sleeves adorned her, a white hair kerchief and a large pink flower sat above her ear. Long, wavy brown hair came down just past her back, and large greed eyes looked up with worry. She looked thin, and sickly.

Ida was tall. Nearly as tall as Ivan himself, from the look of it. She wore the same type of coat as Vladimir, below the knee, long sleeved with a button up and tie beneath it, but hers was black with the button up being the only red on her. The black tie made it almost look like a uniform. She wore black knee high boots, but it didn't seem like she was wearing pants and Ivan wondered if a skirt was under the jacket. She was thin as well, but it looked like this might be wearing on her health. Her short, blonde hair was worn, no shine or life in it. Her large blue eyes watched the three before her, worried.

"Why would you come as well, Ida?" Sasha leaned forward, looking the woman over. "Is she someone important to you?"

"My older sister was the last one killed at his hands. She's my best friend! I couldn't allow him to kill both of the closest people to me!" Ida cried out, grasping tighter to Elizabeta's hand. "I promised to keep by her side, to make sure she's safe from harm! I'm only asking to stay with her, to be executed or exiled with her, your highness!" She shook with fear as the words nearly came at a yell.

Sasha stood, looking the two of them over. "Ida, what are your skills?" He grinned, watching as she shifted, thinking.

"Skills, your highness?" She asked softly, not honestly knowing which one of the two were the king.

"Yes! Can you perform magic? Are you skilled at fighting or planning? What can you do?" He stood up, ignoring Ivan and Nikolai's eyes on him.

"I'm good with medicines and potions, sir." She stared, a little surprised and confused as Sasha stared and his face fell before he plopped back down in the throne.

"Lukas said he needs a medical assistant." He sighed. "Guess this means one less job Arthur will keep being asked to do, hm?"

"What were you hoping for, I wonder?" Ivan watched as Sasha smirked, raising a finger to wag at him.

"Elizabeta Héderváry, as punishment for conspiracy against a possible member of the Assassin's Squad, you're being commanded to work as a servant in the castle. Your co-conspirator as well, shall do as she is told." Ivan spoke down and the two stared, surprised for a moment.

"Really?" Elizabeta stared, dumbstruck.

"And since this is a royal command, this rules above her father's word, right?" Ida turned, clasping her other hand over Elizabeta's.

"Indeed." Ivan spoke softly. "As a member of the household, you'll have to go through training, and learn etiquette and protocols. This shouldn't be a problem, I take it?" Ivan asked and Elizabeta shook her head.

"We've both been through boot camp, Your Highness. We're familiar with the protocols, and would welcome any additional training as well." She bowed low, glancing over to Ida with wide eyes, tears shining over a beautiful smile.

With an tender smile, Sasha stood and bowed low. "Welcome to the castle, ladies."