Chapter 25

Elizabeta was surprised at the response she received that night. Her step mother came up and told her that her father was an ass, and as he had disowned her, but she hadn't, she'd be considered her daughter instead. She said that Roderich looked like a good catch, and as he was well off enough to be invited to one of the castle's events, she would welcome him into the family if they would choose to marry.

Roderich blushed horribly at that, having just met her.

Vladimir stated over his mother's shoulder that he'd be keeping a close eye on them, and told his mother he'd already set boundaries, which made Roderich blush even more.

Her father scurried away from the party shortly after arriving to lick his wounds.

Many lords and ladies of the land made their way to the castle that night, welcoming the squad, as well as trying to win favor with the king. The City Council all made their way as well, to welcome the group, as well as find out how Ivan was being with the group, as he'd insisted on choosing them himself. They were a little surprised to find the group as relaxed as they were. There were no salutes or awkward bows. The members would walk up and pat him hard on the shoulder before speaking to the king, looking more like friends than like his guard, but for most of the group, this was welcome.

General Winter noticed the boy that never left Ivan's side and frowned as he watched them. He hadn't liked the thought of the boy staying at the king's side in the first place, and now he was dressed like a lord instead of like a slave? Preposterous. The General stood tall as Ivan sat on his throne, Arthur curled up on his lap. His intention was honestly to embarrass the king before the group, let them know the boy was a slave and he wouldn't be taken seriously afterward. He was surprised when he reached the top step of the dais Arthur's hand slapped down over the throne between Ivan's knees. Winter jumped back as a few shields snapped into place, creating an audible pop in the room. Everyone's eyes snapped to the front of the room, Ivan on his throne, a boy sitting on his lap, now facing forward, leaned forward with narrowed eyes.

"Arthur, this is General Winter. He's the head of the City Council and should be welcomed." Ivan chuckled as a few in the room chuckled with him.

"I sense malicious intent." He frowned, as he leaned back farther, his eyes watching Winter's every move. Winter could only stare, surprised at the audacity of the boy before him.

"Who do you think you are to say such things?!" He yelled, his hands in fists at his sides as Arthur stared.

"Arthur Kirkland, of the Assassin's Squad. I am a guard for His Majesty, King Ivan Braginsky. Who are you?" Arthur's voice slithered past the last question, informing the man before him that any ill intent would be punishable. Winter stood tall, crossing his arms as an eyebrow rose, informing Ivan the distraction was too much and Ivan smiled, running a hand over Arthur's shoulder.

"Now, Kitten, he's a member of the City Council. We should play nice." Arthur turned back with a frown.

"I really sense ill intent." Arthur nearly whispered and Ivan laughed.

"We don't call him General Winter for nothing! He's full of ill intent!" With that the room burst out into even more laughter.

General Winter realized almost immediately that if the boy had joined the Assassin's Squad, he was no longer a slave. And on top of that, from the little display he'd just put on, he wasn't there uselessly. "It looks like you did as I asked and bought that slave some clothes." Winter frowned as he looked down, seeing Arthur's fingers twirl on the palm of his hand as he leaned back, curling back into the position he'd been in earlier. He'd made his shields invisible, and probably a lot weaker, but Winter had a feeling if he reached forward, he'd still feel them. He glanced around, seeing the other guards staring at him with narrowed eyes. Arthur had gotten everyone's attention, and it served his purposes well, leaving Winter's plans to drift away.

"As you should well know, Arthur is no longer a slave. He was freed by his master, Antonio, before being freed to try out." Ivan watched as Winter nodded, staring at the boy.

"It looks like he's powerful. Maybe we should test out that power later." Winter smirked, surprised when Ivan nodded, lifting Arthur off of his lap to stand.

"Why wait? Who do you think he should go up against? This should be an interesting show!" Ivan grinned as the other squad members jumped in.

"You're leaving us behind, Artie?" Gilbert grinned, rubbing his knuckles over his orange hair, making it stand on end as the shorter of them tried to fight the other off.

"I thought you liked us!" Antonio hugged him. "You used to be so cute!"

"Well, if he's planning to do this job alone, it frees up my time." Francis shot a bright grin and a wink to Elizabeta, who stepped back, cringing.

"How about this." Ivan grinned. "My new Assassin's Squad against anyone you can bring. This will start in three hours. Sound good?" Ivan asked the room and they cheered, a few people running off to try and assemble groups, or get hold of others who had the groups.

"I wanted to relax a little tonight." Arthur pouted and Ivan laughed, holding him close.

"Tomorrow morning, for any of my guards who go undefeated tonight, a bottle of rum, and a box of chocolates." He smiled as he leaned down, kissing Arthur's cheek. "Three bottles for you, as I already owe you two, right?

"You owe him two bottles of rum?" Antonio asked and Ivan nodded.

"One for the pranks on Vladimir, one for getting the top place by the end of the year, and now this." He smiled as he leaned over.

"I get the chocolates after the party." He pouted. "And you owe me another box of those too. Don't forget." He looked up and Ivan laughed, nodding.

"Of course! I wouldn't dare to forget, lubyov'." Ivan smiled softly before looking up. "A warrior's entrance, wouldn't you say?" Ivan cheered, and the room did as well.

An hour later a few groups had accumulated. It wasn't the fame for defeating the group, as they were known to be young and inexperienced yet. It was the sack of gold Ivan offered to anyone who could defeat them that made it interesting.

"No fatalities!" Ivan called out from the center of the room they'd moved to, the school's outdoor arena, where the morning exercises took place.

The group looked down, seeing about a dozen old, angry looking men with a glint in their eyes for the money. Ivan had insisted to get this over all at once, and all twelve men were now against them all at once.

"Arthur, use your 001 preset. Keep Vladimir, Feliciano and Antonio in the inner shield with you. Try not to grab the rest of us, alright?" Yao spoke softly and the group nodded. "Francis, use your Love spell, knock down. Ludwig, do not kill." Yao turned to Ludwig, who nodded stiffly.

"Gil, stay with Natalia."

"I don't need your assistance." She grumbled and Yao turned to her, grasping her arm.

"You no kill, Aru! You no good without killing intent! That's why you got special fight! This not Nikolai! They beat you!" He yelled and the girl shrunk back, nodding. In a surprise move, she reached up and tapped her necklace, which caused her dress to shrink, coming up to her knees.

"Oh, that looks lovely." Francis smiled before turning back to the group that faced them.

"GO!" Ivan yelled.

"PRESET 001!" Arthur yelled, watching as the shields set into place. He pushed them open before opening the back to allow the other three into the central shield. The flame pillars shot to the sky as Arthur set up the stage, which was still detecting the layout of the world around them. He set the perimeter of the stage and watched as the grid started laying out.

Somehow, he noticed in the corner of the shield, a little girl sat, terrified as the shield closed in behind her. He frowned and opened it to allow the girl out, but the group there was surrounding too close and she couldn't get out. Arthur frowned, wondering where on earth this girl's parents were when the group before him started yelling. Arthur thought quickly and used one of the flaming vines to reach out and grab the girl, as she was in the pathway the men were running through. She was lifted above their heads as Arthur opened a hole in the side of the outer shield and pushed the girl through, sliding her into a startled Ivan's arms before withdrawing back within the shield. It closed and he sighed.

"Was that a little girl?" Vladimir asked and Arthur nodded, frowning.

"She seemed to be locked in after I closed the shield. Where were her parents?" Arthur asked out loud and Feliciano looked at the girl, still settled on Ivan's lap, looking content only seconds after terror.

"Let us out." Feliciano spoke out and Arthur frowned.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Feliciano grasped Antonio and Vladimir's hands and Arthur opened the back of the shield to let them out and as they approached the side, he opened it to allow them to run. He closed everything before attacking the men that ran at the flaming pillar in the center.

Arthur was able to do what was needed, with Francis' help they were able to take out most of the guys within a minute. Natalia and Gil took one down, a huge guy, and Yao was locked in hand to hand combat with one of the men. Francis whipped his back with the vines and the man shivered before falling to the floor, asleep. Arthur looked around, having noticed the game hadn't been called to find two Alfred's. They were dressed the same and had the same look in his eyes. Arthur's vines grabbed each of them by an ankle and lifted them up into the air. "Which one is which?" They stared and Yao grinned.

"Which one of us are you dating?" Yao asked the closest one who pointed at Yao.

Yao nodded appropriately before walking to the other one. "Who here do you get along best with?" He asked and this one as well reached out and pointed at Yao.

"This one's the fake. Francis?" He grinned as Francis' vine whipped his leg, sending him into sleep as well. As the game was called, and Arthur dropped the shields, he ran over with a frown.

"Now I'm curious! He's dating you, but you're not the one he gets along best with?"

"He always says himself." Yao rolled his eyes as Arthur laughed, his eyes searching in the crowd. He knew Ivan had called the fight, but he couldn't see him.

"Where's the King?" Arthur called out and everyone stilled, looking to where they thought he might be, only to come up empty handed. Arthur fell to his knees. "Feliciano, Vladimir and Antonio are with him, so I hope they're alright. Step back." Arthur spoke and as everyone did his hand hit the ground again. "Preset 004." A small shield came up around him but the board before him was larger than what was usually used for him. Arthur scrolled through a number at the top, coming to 001 and it started blinking. "Ludwig, Gilbert and Francis, head into the throne room. It's saying he's there." Arthur looked up. While those three ran off, Arthur looked back over the screen. "There's someone else in there with him and the group. Let's go." He called and jumped up, everyone rushing into the throne room to find Ivan sitting on his throne, a little girl asleep on his lap.

Arthur cringed when he saw her. He'd totally forgotten after he got her out of the ring. "Are you missing a little one?" Arthur asked as a few people made their way in. Eventually everyone was back inside and no one had claimed the girl. Nikolai took her to the orphanage, not knowing what else to do with the girl at the time, and the group was surprised when Natalia offered to go as well, her dress again to the floor, though it was ruined from the fight.

"That was interesting. Five seconds after the fight and Arthur's looking for his king." Francis winked at him, an elbow over his shoulder and Arthur blushed like mad, causing a few women nearby to giggle at him. "Ah, young love." Francis smiled while Arthur tried to brush him away.

"It's a pity if you're too enamored with the king. I was hoping to ask you for a dance?" One girl asked and Arthur stared, surprised as Francis pushed him forward. "It's a dance, Mon ami. Enjoy the night with a beautiful girl for a little bit!" He grinned as Arthur nodded, a bit nervous as he faced the girl with a smile.

"I'm Arthur. It's a pleasure to meet you." He bowed low and the girl giggled as she curtseyed, a folding fan over her face.

"I'm Sophia Väinämöinen. My father's on the City Council. It's a pleasure to meet you." She smiled as she stepped forward, folding her fan and sliding it into a small bag she carried over her shoulder. She held up her hands and Arthur blushed a bit.

"I'm not sure how to dance." He looked away and she smiled, taking his hand and placing one on her back, the other she took with her hand as she placed her hand on his shoulder. "There!" She smiled. "Now we just step to the beat!" She smiled as they started.

Somehow they ended out dancing for three songs before Arthur felt a tap on his shoulder and turned, another man smiling at him. He wasn't much taller than Arthur himself, but he had a bit more muscle on him, even if his clothes hid it well. He had almost the same hair and eyes as Ivan. "May I cut in?" He asked and Arthur looked to the disappointed girl before him.

"I should return to the King anyway. It was a pleasure meeting you." He bowed, watching as she returned the gesture.

"Tino! Tell Dad I don't wanna go yet! I was having fun!" Arthur heard and realized it must be her brother. He looked around, finding Ivan dancing with another woman. He wandered over to the buffet and took a cup, a bit thirsty after learning to dance in such a manner and sipped some punch as the girl and her brother made it to the other end of the table. Tino laughed as Sophia blushed, smacking his arm.

"I'll admit, if I had a shot, I'd try for him too! He's adorable!" He spoke happily, nearly causing Arthur to shoot his drink out of his mouth. He stared before him, watching the dance floor as they spoke more, causing such a bright blush to wash over him he wondered if he could burst into flames before Gilbert showed up and laughed out loud at him, smacking him hard on the back.

"What has you looking like a tomato?"

"Arthur looked down, slapping his hand over his eye as Sophia noticed him and grinned, running around to see him.

"I wonder if someone was listening in on our conversation?" She asked with an innocent smile and Arthur stumbled over his words, making Gil laugh even more. "It's fine, you know. We were talking quite loudly. Sorry if we embarrassed you." She grinned and Arthur sighed, shaking his head.

"It's no trouble, Sophia." He smiled as Lovino made his way over, grumbling. "What's wrong?"

"Some twelve year old decided I was going to marry her. She's trying to get her father's permission. When I told him I was one of the Assassin's Squad, he agreed. I was hoping he'd think it was too dangerous! I don't want to marry her! I told her! And him!"

"Lovino! Come on! It'll be fun!" Lovino fell to the floor and crawled under the table. "Where did he go?" A little girl looked around and Arthur smiled.

"Who are you looking for, my dear?"

"Lovino. I love him." She pouted and Arthur smiled softly.

"You know he's a little old for you, right?" Arthur asked and the girl nodded.

"That didn't stop my mommy and daddy, though. My mom always says 'age is just a number'."

"He went that way." Arthur pointed to the other corner of the room and the girl took off. Lovino crawled out from under the table and sighed.

"Thanks, I owe you one." Lovino watched as a pink puffy dress made its way through the room, away from him.

"No, we're good. That's a situation I'd have felt bad for not helping with." He glanced over as Lovino nodded.

"Anyway, it looks like we're about to be leaving. If I see you around, maybe we can talk again sometime?" Sophia smiled and Arthur nodded, offering another bow.

"Til next we meet." He smiled and Tino, the brother, stared at him. Honestly the look made him a little uncomfortable, but he realized part of it was the boy looked so much like Ivan. They both had childlike cheeks, soft, violet eyes and that sandy blond hair, and looked less muscular than they really were.

In other words, Arthur realized he thought the boy was cute.

He turned to Lovino after they left and just stared, in shock. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Because I can't look that way right now. Please, slap some sense into me." Arthur groaned, surprised when a second later a loud slap came across his cheek which startled a few around them for a moment.

"Did that help?" Lovino grinned and Arthur glared.

"I didn't mean for you to actually slap me."

"I'll never turn that offer down." Lovino grinned, watching as the two made their way away. "So, you thought she was cute?"

"No, not really. She was... like a doll, I guess." Arthur tried to describe it.

"So you thought HE was cute." This time Arthur turned red. "It's alright, it happens. What about you made him think he was cute?" Lovino spoke before noticing the dark shadow come over Arthur's shoulder.

"He reminded me of Ivan. It's weird, but they really seem similar." He sighed. "I guess I'm too one track minded." Arthur looked up, seeing Lovino staring over his shoulder and turned, seeing Ivan staring at him in shock.

"You thought someone else was cute because they reminded you of me?" He asked before turning bright red. Arthur smiled, giggling.

"Only you, my king, can make my heart flutter." Arthur smiled as Ivan put a hand over his mouth, trying to hide his joyous embarrassment.