Chapter 19

Piotr made his ways through the hall. It was odd to him, but he realized what Sasha had said. He was cuter as Piotr. He hated to admit it, but he'd been seeing himself as two separate people during this time. The cold and calculating king, and the goofy, playful and sometimes boring farm boy. He hated how much more he wanted to stay as Piotr. He loved this life, and despised there were so few days left.

"It was fixed." Piotr whispered into Lukas' office. Lukas turned and sighed, letting out a deep breath. "It wasn't even sent by the council." He sighed, looking around, seeing three boys laying in the hospital beds. "I heard Arthur was here."

"I sent him and Antonio away, since you commanded him to stay at the other's side, and Antonio had classes to attend to, remember?" Lukas watched with a sigh as Piotr nodded, honestly a little let down that he was missing classes again.

"Sasha's going to bring you in a possible assistant. I don't' know if she knows anything about medicine. Sorry about that." Piotr watched as Lukas walked past, grabbing a cotton ball, and patting his head like Sasha often did.

"I can train anyone, as long as they don't give up."

"It's a prison sentence, so she won't." Piotr watched as Lukas crumbled a little, wondering how hard this was going to be.

"Thanks..."

"Anytime." Piotr grinned before walking down the hall. Piotr looked at a wall clock, sighing with happiness. Ten minutes til lunch. He made his way to the cafeteria, finding the group already there, sitting and chatting. Piotr sat down and sighed, leaning his head hard on the table.

"Everything alright, mon ami?" Francis asked as Arthur sat still, hoping but not wanting to overact.

"Da, just a tiring morning." He sighed as he glanced over, seeing Vladimir come in with a group of three, who all seemed to stay back from him. He hadn't really paid attention to the boy, but now he couldn't tear his eyes away from him. He seemed calmer than he'd been in the castle. He didn't have that cocky half smile he kept flashing. He looked depressed, and as one of the boys of his group elbowed him in the side he understood.

The only one in a group trying out for the Assassin's Squad. He was hiding it, trying to keep his skills under wraps so no one thought too much of him. He was a master manipulator, but he realized he was also a great information gatherer. "Hey, do any of you guys know anything about Vladimir Popescu?" He asked, sitting up, watching as the boys all looked around. Piotr's hand reached out, clasping to Arthur's under the table. "I hope you were well while I was gone?"

"I'm better now that you're back." Arthur spoke softly, hiding his face from the group.

"He's quiet. A complete loner. Even his own group has ostracized him." Gilbert sighed, turning to look at him.

"He seems nice enough, but he's really weird." Antonio mumbled. "He seems obsessed with vampires and something about a woman with the world in her eyes. I don't understand a word of it."

"He's hiding something." Francis smiled, looking with narrowed eyes that didn't look right with the calm demeanor he always carried. "He has some sort of ulterior motive to being here." He glanced over to Piotr with a smile.

"Why do you think that?" Piotr leaned forward, hiding his hand that still clasped to Arthur's.

"He had a fifty percent. All through school, he had a fifty percent. He failed his primary testing as a magician so badly it almost seemed like it was done on purpose, but he aced the test right afterward. Guess what his score was?" Francis grinned. "He's trying to keep the middle rank. It makes me want to mess with him so badly."

"Please do!" Piotr chuckled. "Lets see if we can fight him up to a fifty five by the end of the classes, alright?"

"We're shifting his score up?" Antonio asked and Lovino chuckled.

"What's gotten into you? You're normally only goofy, not this playful, and wouldn't it be harder to force his score up instead of down?"

"Da. That's half of the fun, Da? We have to be creative and playful. It'll be a fun little prank!" He chuckled and Arthur rolled his eyes.

"What's this about?"

"He's trying to blend, but he's doing a poor job of it. At least three of you knew the name instantly, and each of you had some piece of information on him. Keep this a secret, Da?" The group all turned, surprised and nodded. "He's trying to join the Assassin's Squad, but he doesn't have a group."

All eight stilled, staring at Piotr in surprise. "What could he offer alone?" Ludwig asked, practically to himself. "Is there some special skill he has?"

"He's an information gatherer, and a manipulator. He's good at it, too." Piotr watched. "That's why I want you to mess with him. Sasha and Nikolai will be there for the testing. If he blows his top here after the scores keep coming out high, they'll be able to let the king know, and that'll work better on your behalf, da?" Piotr stared, watching as red eyes roved the room, settling on him with a smile, surprised to see such an arrogant grin return.

"What are you planning?" Arthur turned his head, looking towards him and Piotr turned, lifting his face to see him clearly.

He leaned down, giving him a soft kiss, causing Arthur to burn bright red and smiled, leaning his forehead towards the other.

"You know me too well." He chuckled, seeing soft embarrassment cross the other. Piotr leaned down, whispering into his ear. "This is his test."

Arthur understood and shook his head, a light chuckle making its way across the table. "So we mess with him. Raise his scores. What if we win?" Arthur smiled and Piotr frowned, thinking.

He didn't want to admit this would be a major part of their test as well. "Oh! I know!" Piotr chirped, bouncing a little in his seat. "A shipment of Spanish rum came in last week! I'll give you each a bottle if you're able to do this!" Piotr grinned and Arthur cringed, knowing Piotr had just admitted something he shouldn't have.

"You just happen to have nine bottles of Spanish rum laying about?" Lovino asked, arching an eyebrow and Piotr stilled, staring.

"Tres bien. That is a bit surprising for a farmer, but I don't mind it, either." Francis smiled, glancing over to Antonio.

"If a shipment came in last week, there's a good chance they really needed supplies, and bartering isn't unheard of, but such an extravagant thing wouldn't normally be passed around by a poor farmer, si?"

"Who said he was a POOR farmer?" Arthur asked, his head down, hiding the panic on his face. "Why would he have a slave that's useless for farming if their farm wasn't in really high standing?" He asked and Antonio stared.

"That's a very good question." Antonio stared and Piotr swallowed hard.

"My grandfather's on the City Council." He spoke and Antonio frowned, staring harder. "I didn't want anyone to know. It's... I don't want people thinking I got here because of him."

"What's your family name, if you don't mind me asking?" Antonio nearly whispered, realizing something wasn't right here. His father was on the council after all, and he knew the other council members, as well as their families.

"I am General Winter's grandson."

"Piotr Winter?" Antonio stared, surprised. He knew General Winter had had a daughter years ago, but she married and moved away. He was still a bit bitter about it. "I had no idea." He mumbled, staring.

Piotr looked around the table, worried. He noticed the stares, a few surprised and realized everyone had bought the lie, until his eyes met Gilbert's. He knew this wasn't the truth. He winced, realizing with his offer he'd really screwed up. "So, a bottle of Spanish rum for a fifty five percent on Vladimir's scores. Who's willing to do this?" Everyone looked around, contemplating before a collective nod resounded.

"Shouldn't be too hard, but if you back out on us, we'll hunt you down." Antonio chuckled.

"Ja, that would be rude, you know." Gilbert added in, still staring in distrust.

"You." Arthur pointed at Gilbert across the table. "After lunch, come talk with me in my room, alright?" He asked softly and Gilbert nodded.

"Ja, sure." He sighed, sitting back. Arthur, even across the table, could hear the pounding of his heart. It was obvious he hadn't believed a word of that.

Arthur sent Piotr with the rest to their next class while he slipped into the hallway, taking Gilbert to their bedroom. He closed the door, adding a barrier around the walls to dampen sound, just in case. "I know you don't trust Piotr now."

"He lied to all of us. You know what's going on, don't you little birdie?" Gilbert's tone was low, showing his anger at being lied to.

"I do. I can't tell you who he is, it would ruin everything, but trust me when I say this. We need to get to that fifty five. Don't tell Master that I told you this, but it's important to us. Direly. A bottle of Spanish rum is inconsequential."

"Why, because your master said it?" Gilbert leaned back and Arthur nodded.

"If only I could tell you what a grand offer we were just given. It's practically the rest of our lives on a silver platter, just for messing with some kid! We need to do this!" Arthur turned, starting to feel a bit overwhelmed. "If we drop our own grades, it doesn't matter! We need, by any means necessary, to get his score up drastically!" Arthur grinned, already planning things in his mind.

"Maybe for you! The Assassin's squad isn't a big deal for you! If you don't make it you have Piotr to return to!"

"You're wrong!" Arthur yelled out, surprising the other. "If I can't make it into the Assassin's Squad, I'll lose him! We need to do this!" He gasped out, panic making his mind race, his head spin.

"You'll... lose him?"

"Yes!" Arthur yelled. "I'd give him my whole score if I could! I need to find a way to do this, even if you won't help!" Arthur turned and yanked the door open and ran, leaving Gilbert sitting on the bed confused.

Classes were going slowly. It was the day for strategist testing, and Piotr was oddly enough up against Vladimir. "A strategist, I see?" Piotr grinned and the other nodded, surprised and a little let down. The king was known as a master at strategy, not what he was hoping for, as he was falling near the forty nine percent mark.

He was surprised that the king, therefore, made so many rookie mistakes. Gilbert watched with amusement, expecting Vladimir to be creamed, only to come up with him just barely overtaking the other. "I'm sorry, Sasha. I've been too distracted lately. A win for him, I'm guessing." Piotr looked over with a worried glance and the other just shook his head and stared.

That was done on purpose.

"Congratulations, Vladimir. You've just beaten out the upcoming strategist of the year." Vladimir stared in shock. He had hoped to just lose, but a win gave him entirely too many points. The next test was against Yao Wang, which went even worse for him. Yao's soldiers went in Magicians first, after casting no protective spells. Next went the strategists, which lead to an overwhelming defeat. Vladimir panicked, realizing his score would probably be at a fifty one after this. They only had one more test of the day and he had to fail it at a twenty to forty five to keep his fifty percent mark.

He went up against another from the same group. Feliciano Vargas, who he was fairly sure was mentally deficient. His troops started a war with themselves over who had the best ass, Ludwig or Antonio, at Lovino's amusement. They completely wiped themselves out before Vladimir's soldiers even reached the castle.

"Thank you for a good match." Vladimir bowed graciously, trying to fake a smile at an easy win, but it was a lot harder than he imagined with Piotr staring at him with that grin. They all had a written test announced after that and moved to the classrooms. He sighed with relief as he sat down in the wooden desk. If he got a zero on the test he might be able to get back down to a fifty, a low fifty one at worst.

He filled out the test entirely wrong and sighed as they were handed forward. He relaxed as they went to dinner and bed.

The next morning he stared at the front board in horror. "54%" stared back at him, taunting him. He made his way to his seat, feeling his head spin. He'd done so great so far! He'd dealt with the taunts from the rest of his group, all in the seventies. Piotr's voice rang out across the room, a bright laugh with the others at his table joining in. He groaned as his head hit the table.

"He looks crushed." Francis sighed, seeing Vladimir slam his head against the table. "Maybe it's a bit too much, non?"

"Not at all." Piotr stared, seeing him start to crack after only half a day. "If it keeps up like this, it'll be seventy five percent by the time we're done. I want to see if he really panics, or if he can handle the stress." Piotr grinned, the look sending chills down a few of the spines in the room. "I'd like to know how someone altered the written test, though." He answered and Francis chuckled.

"It was an easy test, non? I would have gotten a one hundred percent, but somehow the names at the top of two of the tests got switched." He chuckled as Gilbert looked over with a grin.

"You seem to enjoy watching your own place in the ranks dwindle." He spoke in a calm low voice, surprised to hear the answer he got.

"It's harder to raise his score than to lower it, oui? We can tell the king about this in the tests. This is the sort of thing they'd like to hear about. It's a gamble, but what's better, saying we all got 100, or saying we completed a goal?" He watched as Gilbert stared, dumbstruck.

"What?"

"I spoke to Sasha about it." Francis grinned. "I'm being allowed to redo the tests, and when I told him why we're doing it, he agreed, after the final scores are set, to change ours to what he figured we would have gotten. We don't drop in scores, and Vladimir keeps climbing through the ranks!" He watched as wheels started moving in Gilbert's head.

"I figured out the puzzle." He swallowed hard, his eyes traveling to the tall man at the end of the table. "I'm actually sorry I figured it out." He whispered, seeing Piotr's eyes watch him and narrow slightly.

"What did you figure out?" Piotr leaned forward. This was a test as well. If he said it out loud, that he was the king, it would be blowing his cover. Definitely not something a member of the Assassin's Squad would do.

"Your real name." Was the only answer given.

"What is it, then?" Antonio asked and Gilbert shook his head, clasping both hands over his mouth.

"You really do know, don't you?" Arthur grinned, listening to the pounding of his heart. "And you know what you need to do as well, right?"

"Yes- yes. I will do what I was told, and what I know I should do." He slowly crept his hands back beneath the table, surprising the others.

"Well, that was awkward." Ludwig stared before shaking his head and turning back to Feliciano, who was happily chatting about some new magic spell he'd learned.

Exercises went normally, but by the time they came back they were surprised to find Vladimir's scores much higher than they'd been before.

A one hundred marked the board, the other accompanying numbers looked realistic. If he mentioned someone had raised his scores, it would let them know what he was trying to do, but if he didn't and he got discovered, they would make it look like he'd been cheating to get his numbers that high.

"You're cheating!" One of his cabin mates yelled as he stared in shock at the board. "There's no way your score is higher than mine!"

Sasha walked over with a frown. "What's going on?"

"I think someone changed my scores, Commander. They're... quite a bit higher than they should be." He spoke, looking up as Sasha went over the papers in his hand. He held them up to show Vladimir, who stared in disbelief.

"It's all the extra credit and homework you turned in during the break! Very interesting work, by the way!" Sasha smiled, patting him on the head.

"Thank you, sir. I just... didn't realize I'd done enough to raise my score that much!" He spoke with a happy tone and Sasha chuckled before turning and walking away.

The other group, after exercises were done, hid in one of the classrooms and all ran through tests, papers, exercises and such that would skyrocket his score into oblivion.

He stared, surprised at the odd feeling of elation at realizing this would go on his record. A one hundred percent was nothing to sneeze at, after all, even if the King himself had cheated it that way. He sat down, humming softly as his table mates patted him on the back, congratulating him.

For the first time in six weeks, Vladimir didn't hear a nasty word or an elbow to his ribcage for the rest of the day. The other group was disappointed he seemed so happy after that. No panic, no freaking out.

The lack of terror made him blend in more, the happy smile and chattering with the team mates making him stand out less and less.

"Very interesting." Piotr watched. "I guess he passes."

"If he fails every chance from now til the end of the classes, in two days, it won't be enough to drop him below a seventy five." Francis chuckled and Feliciano cheered.

"We won!"

"I'll have the rum brought to you before bedtime." Piotr chuckled, seeing the joy on everyone's faces.