“I never saw them, I was blindfolded the whole time,” He stared just past Fiori to the hall behind him, “But I could recognize their voices,” he said, “The one in the back with me had a somewhat higher pitch, demeaning and mocking.” He paused to take another breath, “He really liked yanking me with that thing.”
Fiori frowned, absently rubbing the back of Levi's neck as he thought. While slave mistreatment was illegal, it wasn't a crime the city guard went out of their way to investigate. Still, Levi was a royal slave. His mistreatment was worth looking into, if only because his treatment was a sign of respect to the crown. And because something made Fiori want to punish the people who had hurt him. "If we gathered the slavers of the city, would you be able to identify him? It is a high crime to treat you so poorly. I could get you justice."
Levi’s lip twitched with some sort of emotion, but he didn’t know what, so he called it confusion, “But…why?” His voice lowered, “I would be able to recognize them but, aren’t I just a slave to you all?”
Fiori frowned, wondering the same thing himself. Levi wasn't on his level, he was a slave. A second class citizen. But… Fiori wanted to protect him and get revenge for him and keep him safe. It was a very new feeling, and he was so confused. "You are my slave. I… I want to make sure my position is respected." It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either.
“Oh..” Levi looked down to the ground. That made sense— more sense than Fiori actually caring for him, but at the same time he wished he did care (little did he know Fiori’s other reason). “Do you treat your other slaves the same way?”
Fiori didn't know what to make of the disappointment of Levi's face so he pushed it to the back of his mind, giving Levi's neck one last gentle squeeze before he dropped his hand. He began ushering Levi through the halls again, eager to get to his room. "I do not have other slaves. I find the practice… cumbersome. You are my first and only."
“I see. I wasn’t expecting that answer,” he replied. He continued on talking while they continued towards where….he had no idea where they were going. To work maybe? “The men who brought me made you seem like an brutal and unforgiving slave owner.”
"Many people are of that opinion," Fiori replied, slightly surprised by Levi's honesty. He decided to answer with some honesty of his own. "And they are wrong. For a long time, I was too busy to bother with slaves, but now that I have returned to court my uncle insists that I keep one for reputation's sake."
Levi listened in silence and when he was finished, responded with a single nod, “So you didn’t really have a choice to keep me or not?” He assumed, speaking slowly and unsure of that comment. His opinion of Fiori slowly continued to raise. “But now that you have me…what am I going to do exactly?” He supposed it would be nice to have a plan, now that he knew he wasn’t in immediate danger anymore.
Fiori nodded as Levi's assumption, confirming it. If he didn't keep him, it would be… bad. Uncle would be mad, the court would start whispering about his worthiness as a ruler, and the people would think him weak. He paused when Levi asked his second question. "I… I am unsure. This is as new to me as it is to you and I don't have much need for a slave."
“I’m sure the slavers I was with earlier in the day would have some ideas..” he muttered with sarcastic humor under his breath.
Fiori growled under his breath at the thought, eyes flashing down to Levi's throat. Levi was his, that was what his heart was screaming, and those men were never going to touch him again. "I will not. You are still a person, even if you are a slave. It would be cruel to do what they would've done to you."
Levi smiled heavily, gratitude mixed with a nauseous feeling at the thought of what could have happened if Fiori had decided not to keep him, “I appreciate that…I guess this is the best of all possible outcomes. That makes me a little less frightened,” He dipped his head as best he could with a sore neck.
Fiori reached forward and carefully tipped Levi's head up so they were eye to eye. He was very pretty up close, almost distractingly so. Fiori found himself entranced by those icy blue eyes, all the emotions swimming just below the surface. He pulled away quickly. "You don't need to do that, I'm only acting the way any decent man would. But… I am glad I can ease your mind a bit. I imagine you won't spend much of your time here without fear."
A continuous homesick grief glazed over his eyes, along with the natural anxiety being so close to a practical stranger. Levi relaxed his tensed muscles once Fiori pulled away.
“I figured as much,” he responded lowly. “How long should I be here? Like this?”
"Slavery is… a delicate thing," Fiori said, shrugging apologetically and beginning to usher Levi through the halls again. They were close to his rooms, only a few more turns left to go. This palace was built like a maze but Fiori navigated it easily. "Only the gods may decide to free you. It may take weeks, it may take years. The week of sun is only a few weeks away, you could ask them then."
“Gods…” he echoed doubtfully, “I cant believe that, but…do you ever actually see them?” He made a face that wasn’t quite disgust, but more of curiosity.
Fiori frowned at him, not quite sure if this was confusion or disrespect. "What's so hard to believe? The gods show us their divide providence everyday by continuing to bless my kingdom with food and drink. We would not be here without them."
Levi shrugged, but didn’t totally discount what Fiori said. Maybe the two beliefs weren’t so different, they just clashed. “Well, in my kingdom, our god does the same for us and more. Ialdir makes the sun rise and fall every night, and helps us navigate using the stars, and guides us through hardships and famine. He’s the center of our family and celebrations.”
"You think this world, with all its beauty and terror, could be created by only one god?" Fiori was confused by the mere concept. "How?"
“Well, yes, of course.” He answered as if it were common knowledge, “Why would there need to be multiple if a god is omnipotent? Are your gods not powerful enough to create and rule over more than one thing? That doesn’t…make sense to me.” Growing up in a very sheltered and isolated kingdom, everything he’d ever been told by his parents and the religious leaders was that there was one all powerful god, and that there was no other option. He never heard about any other beliefs or religions until now.
"The gods are by far more powerful than you, so you would do well to watch your tone," Fiori warned. Their kingdom was an accepting one that invited people to worship regionally so long as they paid tribute to the main pantheon of gods. The main pantheon went by many names, often combining with local gods to create a more cohesive religious system. "Our gods rule many things, but they are as limited as all beings. Nothing should have complete power, that is… uncheckable. It leads to tyranny."
Levi opened his mouth to ask if they were really gods if they were limited in their power, but the warning made him shut his mouth. Instead he said, “The next thing I would say might get me whipped, so…I’d rather just…resign to the fact that we’ll never agree,” he spoke with an undertone of bitterness in his chest. Who was he to say Ialdir was a tyrant? He did his best to suppress a scowl.
Fiori rolled his eyes and pushed him gently to keep him moving forward. "I would not whip you for speaking your mind," he said, slightly insulted that Levi would even think that. "We're not savages, whippings are for severe crimes. Things like murder or assault."
Levi continued to walk, “I don’t know your laws and practices for slaves. Forgive me for my ignorance,” He let out a frustrated sigh, “I’m not familiar with the way slaves are treated. My kingdom doesn’t exactly do this.”