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_**Note: This story is based on, and set in, the "Cold Blood" universe which was made and written by Onyx Tao. Please read his brilliant stories!

OBSERVE: My storyline, "Finding Home", is not to be considered canon to the Cold Blood universe, there are bound to be several differences between this "alternate universe" to Cold Blood and the actual one. So if you're a fan of Cold Blood, please don't be mad if you spot several "flaws" within this alternate Cold Blood universe. Artistic freedom and yadda yadda... :)

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-Chapter 2-

-Lost in dreams-

~

Livius smelled grass. It wasn't just an ordinary scent of grass, but more that kind of scent you get when spring has changed into summer, and it's growing along everything else with a radiant intensity. The sort of grass you dream of laying your back against, gazing lazily at the clouds while the cool breeze from the wind gives you well needed sanctuary from the otherwise almost-too-warm sunny weather. Livius found himself in a white toga, and all around him were familiar hills, green with life. He turned around and saw a collection of stone buildings, all carefully constructed around graceful, yet simple gardens. An alleyway of fantastic oak trees paved the way to a streaming river, with shimmering reflections from the sun on its calm surface. Livius released a sigh of joyous relief, and prepared to begin his walk towards the path that lead to the houses in the distance.

"Where do you think you're going, wanderer?", resounded a low, soothing voice. Livius didn't need to turn to the source. He knew exactly who it was. It was Lord Shade. Livius closed his eyes and listened to the thumping sounds of the heavy hoofs, as Lord Shade closed in on him from behind. As he opened his eyes, he noticed that the grass in front of him was slightly darker, as if it was .... shaded. But as Livius inspected the dark area in front of him, the shadows of two horns appeared at the border of the sunlit grass and the recently darkened patch; towering above that which had been shaded. Livius smiled and turned around.

Lord Shade looked like he always had. Big, white and delightfully clad in a loose toga. He was still overweight, but it fitted him so well; lushious, round cheeks and always a smile on his face. His small, thick horns framed his head so fantastically, and his deep, brown eyes looked lovingly at Livius, who was at a loss for words. He could only return the smile.

"What exactly do you plan to do here, my little heartmage?", asked Lord Shade.

"I remember when you called me that. It was so unfair of you.. if anyone on this planet deserved the title, it was you, my beloved master".

Lord Shade chuckled heartily, his big shoulders creating funny shadows from the sunlight as they shook from his laughter.

"No, no, my dear, sweet human. You put a spell on my heart, and you know it. You always made me happy. But I wonder, what exactly are you doing here now? This is no longer your home. You have somewhere to be, someone needs you now. You don't remember I told you to save a young soul?"

Livius looked around and cringed a bit, troubled by the strange rejection.

"Well, I was sort of hoping I could come back here, and be with you again. There are so many things I want to do with you, so many things I want to talk to you about. I didn't even get to read you my poem that I wrote for you..."

Lord Shade tilted his head and changed his smile into one more mischievous.

"A poem for me? That is very sweet of you, but you know you shouldn't be here. This is a dream, Livius. And as much as I would love to welcome you back; someone needs you. They're killing him as we speak, you know. What heartmage of mine would let that happen?"

"Killing him?", Livius asked. Lord Shade lifted his left arm and pointed at a location far away. Livius followed the imaginary arrow shooting from Lord Shades index finger, and he saw a hill, far away. It was such a dark hill, with looming shadows cast on it from above. The dark clouds made it harder to see, but as he focused, his eyes seemed to gain telescopic powers. Suddenly the dark hill was all he could see, but ... it was just so difficult to make out any details. Was there a minotaur there? Did he look afraid? Were there humans... rushing... into a ... tent?

Livius turned around to ask for some answers, but where Lord Shade recently stood; there was a massive, dark wolf. He wasn't snarling: he did not appear threatening really, but his burning, yellow eyes pierced Livius own very intensily. Stepping back a bit, Livius made sure not to look away from the wolf. The strange situation made his feet clumsier, and he stumbled while trying to find his balance as he was backing away from the beast.

"Lord Shade? I mean Philon ... where... where exactly are you? What is this wolf doing here? What is he?", he shouted into the air, and strangely enough the echo of his voice resounded oddly throughout the valley, as if the echo wasn't natural. Lord Shade gave a booming, omniscient reply; his voice seemingly clashing over Livius as though it was called out from all corners of the world in one instant. The answer sent shivers down his spine.

"A guardian to some, a bane to others", was the vague reply. Livius spun around to pick up where the voice was coming from, but it was pointless. He lost track of his position, and saw the world as a blur twirling around his reality. The minotaur was out there in the distance, being threatened by humans, he just knew it - but where? Livius thought he could see him now, but something was running towards him aswell, and it was a frightening distraction. It was the wolf. It was suddenly very close, and it leapt towards him. It was flying closer with insane speed, and now: It fell upon him. Claws and fur connected with Livius, dove into him, and ...

~

Livius saw a horizontal line being drawn across the universe. Only it wasn't the universe, it was his slowly opening eyelids. The diffuse glow of the world around him had no details, it was mostly monochromatic contours, with some strange random colors filling in gaps that barely seemed to be there. It was all flickering intensily, but his memories returned. He had been knocked out cold by the minotaur after... Oh gods... did I ravage him? I am sure I heard voices... *soldiers*!

Livius gained a lions strength in an instant, and tried to rise from the floor. He stumbled up on his unsteady feet and beheld a line of soldiers with pikes pointed towards someone close to Livius. As Livius turned to his side, he noticed the minotaur kneeling quite close to him, with hands held protectively in front of his face. The soldiers advanced shakily when they noticed they had a chance; seeing how the minotaur made no attempt to resist, or be a visible threat to Livius.

"Stop!", Livius exclaimed with frantic arms waving. The exertion made him light-headed, and he felt the need to fall down onto his knees aswell, in order not to pass out. His face was aching something terrible, probably from the blow received by the frightened minotaur. The soldier who stood closest to Livius had wild eyes that switched between the perceived target and victim, and he demanded to know the situation.

"Sir, I cannot stop. Not without explanation. Were you not attacked by the savage beast?", he roared in an upset voice. Sweat was already leaking down his tense face.

"For heavens sake, I have everything under control! Can you not see him? He is healed, he is sitting beside me and he poses no threat to me. I behaved unfamiliar to him and it triggered a defensive response. He hit me right in my face, and I deserved it, I messed up. He was scared and wanted to defend himself, that's all. Can you honestly say you wouldn't react the same if you were surrounded by your enemies?". Livius panted heavily and allowed the words to sink in. It seemed to work, at least for the moment. When he felt strong enough to breathe regularly again, he looked once more at the soldiers, who were all still at the ready.

"Relax, trust me, and by all that is holy: lower your weapons.." Livius said in a calmer, tired voice.

"Ask the minotaur to lie face down on the ground, arms on his back. Then we may... consider your request".

"Fine". Livius turned to the minotaur, who was breathing quite excitedly, still looking down on the ground with his hands still held in front of his face. Every muscle seemed tense. Livius began speaking very slowly and gently in greek.

"Listen to my voice now. These men will not kill you; I have explained that you did not mean to hurt me... even though perhaps you did. To the best of their knowledge however, it was all an unfortunate accident and I have persuaded them that you are not dangerous to them or myself. They want to see this proven by your willingness to lie down on the ground, facing the floor. They also want you to place your arms on your back, so you are not in a position to hurt anyone. Is this acceptable? Can you do this?"

The minotaur said nothing at first, he just kept in his kneeling position. Ever so slightly, he began by carefully lowering his hands, all the while looking at Livius as if he expected the instructions to change. He had a very anxious expression on his face, which baffled Livius somewhat at first. I suppose he has mixed impressions of me... no wonder, it's my own fault..

After a moment had gone by, the minotaur; realizing nothing else had been said, slowly adjusted himself according to Livius' prior words. He complacently laid his hands against the floor, and began sinking his weight downwards, all the while staring with arched eyebrows at the insecurely smiling Archmage. It took nearly a minute, but eventually he lay as instructed and Livius slowly rose to an upright position. He lowered his arms, and the soldiers lowered their pikes.

"There we go... ", Livius said and panted with relief. "There we go..."

Livius managed to stand still despite the lack of blood and oxygen going to his head. The dizziness had begun to shake his senses quite vividly, but the stoic (illusory?) self-image worked wonders in allowing him a somewhat confident stance. The soldiers managed themselves around, investigating what must have seemed like a crime scene to them. Livius paid little attention to the murmurs of their muffled voices, his attention was locked at the minotaur on the ground, with pike ends hovering above his thick, sweaty skin. The chest seemed to expand like a balloon as he filled his lungs frantically with air.

An unfamiliar sound broke through the tent walls, placing itself like a magnet of attention in the dead center of the room. Livius knew his realization was delayed, but it couldn't be helped. He was expected to react differently, he knew it. In the back of his mind it was now clear what the seemingly unfamiliar sound was: thick plate scraping against chainmail armor. It must have been Ionatan. As Livius elevated his drowsy eyes, the dim figure confirmed his suspicions.

"What in the various versions of Hell is this? I am sitting in my tent, enjoying a quiet morning tea - when all of a sudden, a soldier in panic storms in, screaming something about an out-of-control situation with the minotaur prisoner?!"

It was clear to Livius that the General was aggravated, but somehow it didn't feel entirely convincing. More like a reaction that was expected out of him. Livius just knew he didn't truly care enough about the situation to be genuinely upset. This facade was probably just an impressive ruse.

Or maybe I am completely bloody wrong... I can't even think...

"General, with all due respect...", Livius began.

"No need to explain yourself. It is clear to me that the situation is now under control. Clearly, the urgency for me to rush here was exaggerated. I have more pressing matters to attend to, and yet here I am wasting my time and the precious time of my soldiers. We are already two hours late.. we are needed on the second front, and I will be damned before I show up late."

The General appeared to stare at one of the nearby soldiers, who hung his head in shame. Without warning the General approached Livius and put his hand on Livius' shoulder.

"You seem pale...". His voice was almost compassionate.

"I can imagine you must be exhausted from the ordeals of the night, and I will not press you further. The carriage is waiting for you outside, just a few rows from here. I have three men to join you to the farmstead, and I believe the journey will be short. Once you arrive, you are free to organize things any way you see appropriate for the .. precarious situation. You will be given authority to order my men around as you please, but you should run the orders through my senior commander, Julius".

A grey-haired man with a pleasant, albeit wrinkly face, gave a discrete nod towards Livius as the General glanced in his direction.

"I would hate to see the chain of command broken, you see".

A look of bemusement fell upon the General's face.

"Speaking of chain of command... not that I want to pry, but ... shouldn't you somehow notify the Circle of Magi before you set off on this wild goose chase? Are you truly bestowed to take these matters into your own hands? I mean, I can only relate to martial expeditions; but even being a General, I am hardly privy to step outside the confines of rules and regulations. I find it odd that you have such freedom to act on your own when it comes to issues clearly arcane - hence dangerous and important. Do you not have to await further instructions before you undertake missions of this magnitude?"

Livius had hoped to mask this issue with an aura of mystique. Arousing suspicion in the heart of a General might spring a trap too deadly to escape, later on. Livius' eyes looked a bit dead, but he sported a lively smile nonetheless as he replied to the General, narrowly escaping the initial words transforming into a yawn.

"General, I am certainly bound by countless rules and regulations, as are we all. I do not act on my own in issues of great importance, but you must understand this falls under no such thing. It is merely a routine checkup. If he should prove to have developed an immunity to the workings of our dark magic, then, and only then, does this whole ordeal turn into a grand issue indeed. Until that time may come though, I act discretely at my own professional leisure."

"Very well. I will leave you to it. Best of luck to you, Archmage!"

Livius nodded his head and composed himself as the General went back to the tent entrance. A few orders were given, and consequentially set in motion. Some lifted the minotaur and led him out of the tent; some people cleaned the table on which he had lay; some just observed Livius. It all felt slightly surreal, but the turbulence was soon replaced with serenity as most of the men had soon left. The tent was quiet for a few seconds, but Livius noticed that Julius was still present.

"Ready to leave, Sir?", he asked with a kind voice. Unusually kind for a hardened soldier. Livius gave a slight nod and tried to not vomit as he started walking. The traumatic blow to the head and the immense exhaustion had begun to take its toll. He made it outside and felt sunshine on his dry skin. The air was magnificently fresh at least. As they walked on by the tents of yesterdays feasting, Livius made no real attempt at listening to the banter that probably attacked his ears from the soldiers around him. His goal was clear; just make it to the wagon. That's it.

Eventually they arrived. It was pretty far from impressive, but its sturdy look gave Livius the impression that it was built to last a century. Four strong horses would bring it forward, presumably at a somewhat limited speed due to the minotaur, who had already been placed within the carriage, making it sink a bit closer to the ground.

"Heavy fucker, isn't he?", a young man's voice inquired. At first Livius had a hard time placing where the voice came from, but as he looked up towards the roof of the wagon, he saw a dark figure preceding the extremely bright sun that shocked the retina of Livius' eyes. He shadowed his face with a trembling hand, and saw the confident face of a young soldier on top of the roof, pike in hand. Sitting at the front of the carriage, holding the steering ropes, was a stern-looking man in his late thirties. He had a vicious scar crossing his face from brow to chin, and cold eyes planted deep inside a weathered skull.

"Looks like you're joining him inside the carriage", the old man Julius said. Livius looked at him and smiled for a while, then he realized the implications. Oh... he means *me*...

A sudden flood of shame and fear struck Livius. Could he spend the whole ride inside the carriage, sitting in front of the minotaur... alone? Last night he behaved horribly inappropriate, and it would be most embarrasing to be sitting so close to him for hours on end.

"I ... are you sure, I mean... ", Livius began but noticed he couldn't quite decide what to say. Julius merely returned a calm smile and walked towards the carriage, chuckling some along the way. With unexpected swiftness he jumped up and placed himself beside the scarred soldier and looked at Livius with a map in hand.

"Someone needs to steer, someone needs to keep watch, and as for myself: I need to guide the way. You, on the other hand, are an Archmage. There is nothing that chained-up minotaur inside can do to hurt you. Do not worry".

The cheerfulness was biting, but Livius knew that what he said was true. He had no choice. He swallowed a few times and then realized he hadn't packed his bags. He raised his hand and started to wander towards his tent, but he didn't even manage a single step until the old man interrupted him.

"Your things have already been packed, courtesy of General Ionatan and Archmage Skender. Maybe they are anxious to get rid of us?", he said with a sarcastic voice, and continued, ".. unless there's something they missed? Do take a lot if you feel worried they neglected something."

Livius nearly tripped as he adjusted himself to once more face the wagon, only to again be interrupted by another, quite familiar voice.

"Livius!", exclaimed Skender from afar. While approaching, Livius sensed trouble. Something in his walk indicated restlessness.

As he approached, Livius had prepared himself with a facial expression that indicated stress, in the hopes of ridding himself of further conversation. Skender took no notice, or maybe he did not care. At any rate, Livius found time to overlook the packages crammed into the compartments of the carriage, and to his great dismay, not a single item was left out.

Damn.. that means I have to get into the carriage as soon as I have dismissed Skender.

"I feel as though we are not entirely clear on some.... issues", Skender said, glancing the minotaur who sat silently in the carriage. With an icy look, the minotaur glanced back briefly, but soon corrected himself to not appear hostile. He faced the floor once more.

"I would be most pleased if you could keep an open line of communication. I realize we will have to overcome certain distances, but the far-reaching spells never were a problem to you, were they?".

Perhaps he expected a reply, but Livius simply shook his shoulders as if that would be the only answer that Skender could possibly want from him. The haunting silence that followed was hard to endure, but it seemed necessary to clearly convey that Livius didn't believe anything remained to discuss. Skender appeared to grow increasingly impatient with this, and Livius timed his reply perfectly - right when Skender was about to add something of his own.

"I trust you will enjoy an enriching journey, Skender. I am tired as you may understand, and I have plenty of work ahead of me". Livius made his first stumbling attempt at the steps leading into the carriage. With one hand on the support grip, he managed to drag himself fairly close to the small door leading in. He opened it, but was interrupted by Skender.

"Livius... I am serious. I will need to hear reports from you. This is such an unconventional situation and last night ... well, it felt as though I didn't get to discuss a whole lot. It is irrational that you take this matter into your own hands without the consensus of the Cirle, and frankly ... ".

"..frankly, I have everything under control. It is only a routine analysis, and you know perfectly well we need no documents from the higher-ups when it comes to such trivial matters. Nonetheless, the situation is delicate, as you have expressed. I am well aware of that, and will keep you notified."

Livius turned and waved his hand at the old man sitting in the front of the carriage, who returned an understanding nod. As Julius shouted out his order to depart, and the wagon slowly started to move, Livius smiled and looked at Skender as the wagon trailed off. Skender held his mouth open, not knowing what to say. Livius broke the silence with a heartfelt salutation.

"For the Empire!"

As he swung himself into the carriage and closed the door behind him, it almost seemed as if the world was dimmed from the inside, looking out. He made his way to his seat, but it was quite cramped due to the minotaur taking up most space. While it was definitely a pleasant experience to grind his relatively frail body against the rock hard muscled body of the chained minotaur, courtesy and traumatic fatigue disallowed him to indulge in the sensations, and he awkwardly apologized for the inconvenience. Once seated, he looked outside the window and saw the military settlement disappear behind him, slowly. The tents carefully shrunk into the distance, Skender was nowhere to be seen, and after a few minutes; mostly countryside stretched the world around the carriage. Livius smiled, he was feeling fantastic. He felt how his back and his legs relaxed against the wooden seats, and his troubles melted away with the notion that he was finally leaving the military tents behind him. Did he truly hate it that much? He concluded that he probably did. At least it somehow felt as if the morning had passed by rather quickly. The confrontation with Skender had made Livius aware of the dangers looming ahead though. It was clear he had to deal with a lot of problems, and he couldn't keep on pushing them ahead of him; some day he would have to face them. But right at this moment, beautiful autumn landscapes swept by the bumpy road. Livius had so longed for such a peaceful sight. The sunshine competed with distant sounds of birds in a competition of which could be the best tranquilizer. Wonderful day. With a broad smile, he turned forward and .... suddenly the smile was gone.

Damn. Forgot about the minotaur.

Livius decided he needed to focus on that ominous presence; the minotaur that sat in front of him. Livius had brushed past his muscular form to sit on the opposing seat as though he wasn't there. Perhaps he had mentally blocked him out due to his feelings of shame, or perhaps he had just been tired. But now, recognizing his presence was inevitable. The minotaur had noticed that Livius observed him, and he began to look in different directions to avoid eye contact. He had a difficult time trying not to drive his horns into the roof above him, but they scraped the surface, sending wooden dust down on his muzzle. He shook some to get it off.

"Do that again, and I will sink my pike into you, beast!", the young soldier shouted from outside and above. Livius opened his mouth to say something, but he fell silent. There was no point in shouting or screaming now. The minotaur seemed to understand what it was all about though, as he froze in his motions. He hung his head and looked at his hands, clutching his knees with them. Livius tried to focus on his face, see if he could determine what he was thinking about. He leaned in closer to the minotaur, wondering what ... Oh. Now he's looking at me. Livius realized he must look ridiculous, and so he coughed and corrected himself, leaning back once more; looking out the window. Wow, how inconspicuous that must have seemed, Livius, old boy, he thought to himself. Deep down, he knew he had to break the silence eventually. He looked back at the minotaur, who was still semi-glancing him, but quickly retracted his eye focus to his hands once he noticed Livius' renewed attention towards him.

God those eyes are beautiful, Livius thought.

Trying his best to look relaxed, he leaned back to the seat and sprawled his legs apart. The arms uncomfortably fell to the sides in an effort to look as if he had no care in the world. Instead he looked obtuse. The elbows supported his unbalanced weight with unconvincing illusion of ease, and he quickly decided that he probably looked forced and strange rather than relaxed, so with yet another none-too-discrete cough, Livius sat up straight and tried to appear confident and calm. He felt sure it didn't work.

"Are you feeling comfortable?", Livius asked in greek. His voice trailed off in all possible sonic directions, since his throat was a bit sore. Livius bit his tongue; the question was as stupid as his forced smile, he felt, but at least it was a start. The minotaur however, only nodded ever so slightly in return. Well...So far, so good.... sort of, Livius thought.

"Look, I ... I am so sorry about last night. What took place... I ... there is no excuse for my actions, but ... I just want you to know I didn't mean for that to happen".

The tensing of his shoulders made it clear to Livius that this particular subject made the minotaur uncomfortable. That makes two of us. But I have to make sure he doesn't believe I am a complete lunatic. Livius let off a heavy sigh, and felt he didn't know how to approach the subject lightly.

"Are you mad at me?", he began slowly, leaning in a bit closer. He felt he was truly sorry, and it probably showed in his face. I probably look kind enough, he hoped somewhere in the recesses of his mind, but this conversation was too important to divide between words and stature. Livius felt he showed his emotions well enough without focusing on his body language. Better to just let it come naturally.

The minotaur slowly lifted his head. It was a bit hard to determine whether or not it was due to the bumpy road or if it was a conscious decision on his part, but it seemed deliberate, albeit slow and reluctant. His eyes first sought to find a place to rest on. It was apparently still with great unwillingness that he looked straight into Livius' eyes. Eventually he did though.

"I am not sure how to adress you... Sir. But I am very thankful for all you have done, Sir... Master? Lord?". It was troubling to see him like this. After speaking, he now restlessly wrenched his body, looking very unsure of himself.

"Livius. My name is Livius. Just call me that". The smile was very heartfelt, and it was probably necessary to make the prisoner feel somewhat more calm. A small nod came as a reply, although he looked massively perplexed.

"Are... are you not entitled to ... to a title? I thought you had more authority?".

"I *do* have authority, I am an Archmage. But I will let you in on a little secret... "

Livius used his hand to urge the minotaur to lean closer. It was with great uncertainty that he did so, but it did happen. The giant head was quite close now. Resisting the urge to touch him, Livius simply leant forward a bit closer to his furry, soft-looking ear, which stood up in attention.

"I am just a man, like all the others. Titles earn me no greater worth on its own". The minotaur looked at him with a somewhat terrified expression. Or maybe it was simply shock? Livius smirked and leant back against his seat.

"I am sorry if that was an unexpected statement, but I just don't believe in titles anymore. I am tired of it. I am tired of organization, I am tired of paperwork, chain of commands, all this .... idiotic management. It is just a way to sustain the illusion of control. Establish values. Determine what is desirable contra what is not. I once thought it was so important... these days, I find it sort of pathetic. Every person has a world of their own within them, and that is where such judgments, such opinions are formed. Adapting to societal norms can be ... so limiting. Especially when it only seems to lead to war. Ideas versus ideas. Cultures versus cultures".

Cringing a bit in his seat, the shackled prisoner tried his best to look neutral, but it was obvious he was a bit shaken.

"Do I surprise you?"

"You could say that, Sir.. I mean Livius", was the low, rumbling answer. It took him long enough to reply. He didn't really seem to agree with what Livius had said. Livius kept his smirk, and decided to relax his hands behind the back of his head. Suddenly he made a recollection.

"Oh dear, I haven't even asked you your name? May I know it? I have been so full of myself that I have completely forgotten to ask how you would like to be adressed".

The minotaur made no attempt to hide his lack of understanding. With searching eyes that narrowed themselves down to small blue dots, he opened his mouth to speak, but no words came. He shut his jaw and looked out the window, as if he was looking to see if someone was listening in on them. He turned back to face Livius and raised up his head. He shifted his lower jaw forth a bit, pushing the lower lips ahead of the upper. It gave him a weird expression. He was pouting his lips while looking diagonally upwards, as if he was kissing something ahead of him while observing a detail in the roof. This is what he must look like when he ponders something. It's terribly cute.

"Sir, I don't know what you want me to say? Why don't you just call me 'Slave' if you haven't decided what to call me?". He had his head tilted as he spoke, and he looked very careful. It was clear he was afraid to say the wrong thing. Livius sank a bit, releasing some breath with a smile. It was hard to balance emotion with reason in situations like these, that much was made apparent.

"Well, I hardly think that's what you want, is it? Would you be offended if I simply called you by your birth name?".

"No.. I suppose ... I mean of course you can, Sir. Livius. It's Matteus. My name is ... Matteus".

Livius smiled. It felt as though he had reached a milestone here. "It's a beautiful name, Matteus. Very, very beautiful". Below the horns, the eyes shone like blue crystals. The sunrays from the outside gave them added sweetness, but it was hard to determine what he was thinking. Without even realizing it, Livius had placed his hand on top of the minotaur's. It was clear now, that the expression in his eyes was confusion. Livius felt the wonderful warmth of the huge hand, but he quickly retracted once he understood what he had done. "Oh!", he exclaimed. "Sorry, I .. didn't mean to touch you... against your will, that is".

"I am a prisoner. Why do you keep excusing yourself for how you treat me?", asked Matteus. It was apparent that he was still unused to speaking this plainly and openly, and he wasn't very willing to do so. Something about the way he moved indicated another even less amusing fact; he did not like being touched.

He may have said that he finds it strange that I do not treat him as I see fit, but at the same time - he doesn't like the prospect of me doing so.

"Prisoner? Look... I don't consider you that. I consider you to be a person. One I hope to get to know better. One I hope will get to know *me* better too ... Is it so strange that I want us to communicate as equals?"

Of course it is, Livius, you dumb bastard, Livius thought to himself.

"Well... maybe it is, after all. Hmmm... I realize it's hard for you to believe me, but I really do care about your wellbeing."

"You saved my life. That much I know, and I am grateful for it. I don't know why you did it, but I was in great pain and I ... thought I was about to die. You saved my life. Thank you S... I mean... thank you Livius".

He is not telling me the whole truth here? These words feel forced to me... a bitter taste is left in my mouth.. something about the way his thought patterns register doesn't sit right with me... he may be ... suspicious? He is grateful but... he is suspicious.

"Look, I will explain to you what we are doing. We are going to a farmstead right now, and officially we are going there in order for me to experiment on you magically".

This made Matteus repel from Livius with fierce speed. In a split second, pure fear entered his eyes and his muscles abruptly dragged him back against the confines of his seat, which squeaked loudly from the heavy impact of a frightened minotaur. He stared at Livius with wide open eyes and a slack, wide gaping mouth. The horns nearly broke a plank as they landed on the wooden outskirts of the roof, but it didn't seem to awake the attention of the young soldier above them. Livius understood the fear, and regretted his choice of words.

"No, no please - please, don't be afraid! I will *not* experiment on you! Absolutely not! Like I said, that is the official reason we are going to that place!". Livius knew his words were a bit too loud, and he didn't want to awake suspicion amongst the soldiers outside. They could be listening, and while Livius was certain none of them knew greek, he didn't want to plant any seeds of mistrust in either of them anyway.

"Look, I just wanted to save you from a horrible fate. I saw you in chains, and they were about to kill you. I couldn't let them, so I made up a story. I told them you have dark magic in you, and that I intend to find out why it doesn't kill you. It is all fabricated though, it's all a lie. You do not have dark magic in you, and I will not experiment on you. It's just... I do not know what to do. I haven't really thought this through."

The minotaur looked at him like a prey watches a predator's every move, in order to determine when they can best time an escape. His breathing wasn't as intense, but he didn't look at ease either.

"Why... why would you care if I live or die?"

The question felt horrible to Livius, and his pained grimace spoke better than any words right now, as Livius had no idea what to say.

"Because I am tired of war, tired of death and I am tired of misery - be the victim man or minotaur".

Matteus eyed Livius from head to toe while sitting awkwardly still in his seat. He did not seem convinced, and the thoughts inside him raged.

"I know you have mixed impressions of me, and I understand that you cannot afford to trust me yet. I just hope it will come in time. I haven't slept for ages, and saving you... using my healing magic on you an entire night and morning... it was exhausting. Perhaps there's no way of knowing for you; but magic drains a person very much, when used. So when I ... did that unappropriate thing to you.... I was so exhausted that I had begun to hallucinate. I am so sorry for what I did, and I am so sorry if I have scared you even more now but... please try and trust me? I really do want what's best for you...."

Livius felt he was more or less about to cry, but the minotaur made no change in his expression. He just nodded a bit, but it seemed a reflex more than anything else. Give the monster what he wants, is what he's thinking...

The rest of the ride was endured in silence. As the day passed, Livius watched the sinking sun, and saw the fields turn red from its distant glow. None of them spoke, and most of the time, they even avoided eye contact. When they finally arrived at the farmstead, Livius had fallen asleep. A cheerful voice and a light shaking on his shoulder woke him up. It was Julius, looking slightly estranged by the fact that Livius had fallen asleep.

"Heavy sleeper? Well, at least the minotaur seems docile enough. I don't think he will cause too much trouble."

Livius ground his fingers against his face to gain some degree of energy. As he looked outside, night had fallen. The moonshine lit up Matteus as he stood in his chains by the guards. He looked at Livius for a second, and it made Livius smile. He was such a beauty. Towering one minotaur's head above the rest, his frame with all its delightful muscles made the tracing of the moon's silvery glow along his form a delight to behold.

Livius stepped out of the carriage and the soldiers gathered up around him.

"Right. There's work to be done".

Livius had a stern look upon his face, but he still felt optimistic, although there was no real reason to be happy. At least not for these men, or the minotaur. Livius however, had begun to lighten up slightly. Maybe it was due to this new place, the new prospects. It was as though he had opened a door of opportunities to live a new life outside his old, unwelcome routines. Gaining Matteus' trust though, would likely take some hard work.

The men looked in different directions, completely astray. Matteus just hung his head, but observed the others with watchful eyes. He didn't move an inch. Julius stepped forward a bit, just a bit. Clearly not to impose but rather just make it clear to Livius that he was there.

"This farmstead, while big and sturdy, still may need some work in order to accomodate four humans and a minotaur. We should get started on some practical work. Anything in particular you would like us to start with, Archmage Livius?", Julius inquired.

" See to it that the men prepare this place for the night. We need to find rooms that can be used as sleeping chambers if there aren't enough in there for all of us as it is, and we need to find a method to chain the minotaur in a room fitting for me to use".

"You want him in your room then, sir? Are you sure that's wise?".

"I can handle myself. Like you said prior to our departure; I am an archmage. Now.. I will need a large room, in which I can sleep, study and perform examinations on him at my leisure."

"Affirmative".

Livius smirked to himself as the old soldier went to the others and gave them orders. It felt strange to have such authority again. Where he had been, just a bit over a year ago; authority was a meaningless word and an alien practice to impose on others.

It wasn't too long until the soldiers had prepared the various rooms in the farmstead. Turns out it was a very large place indeed, and that it contained several bed chambers. Many more than required in fact. Livius was more or less just going through the motions when the others showed him around the facilities. The main building housed luxurious rooms, most with splendorous views over the natural vistas that kept the place in its lushious, green embrace. At least during the day. Right now Livius had to use his imaginations as the moonlight painted treetops and grassy banners from the waving ground. There were a few other buildings close to the main house aswell. There was a big, mostly-empty stable, a huge storage locale filled with various food products and plowing equipment, and finally a fantastic bath house more or less adjoining the main building. All in all, it was an amazing place, but Livius had a hard time showing his enthusiasm. There was simply too much on his mind.

Eventually Julius, the old soldier, tired of filling in Livius with all his thoughts and ideas about potential uses and functions for all the various implementations and resources the household kept, and opted to show Livius to his quarters. Livius was led up the stairs to the top floor, and with a simple hand gesture and some warm and welcoming words, Julius showed him the grandest room in the house. Julius shone with something akin to overly excited enthusiasm, but Livius had a feeling it wasn't fake. Peeking in, it became obvious that it was clearly a pleasant enough room though. Livius had noticed the guards commenting on the large scale on everything, from the height to the ceiling, to the spaciousness of the furniture. Livius felt no need to make a comment on any of it; for him it was familiar to see such big furniture once more, even though it probably felt odd to the others. Very likely, they hadn't even thought about the fact that minotaurs, being larger than humans, obviously demands larger furniture to grant comfort.

Livius soon had his room filled with the various items loaded from the carriage, and by the huge desk in front of his bed, he could roughly prepare a working study, or at least something that would pass for a study should the soldiers be suspicious about his intentions. Upon entering the room, all of the furniture was placed in the right wing, by the only window. The rectangular, empty space directly by the entrance was remade to hold the minotaur chained to the wall. At first there was a concern whether or not the wooden material would hold the chains in case the minotaur tried to thrash himself free, but Livius made it clear that he would cast a spell to make sure it wouldn't break, even though Livius didn't really know any such spell.

Suddenly Livius became aware that the minotaur was observing his chains. It didn't seem to be in order to assess their flaws or anything like that, but rather it seemed like a motion that would typically indicate boredom. It struck Livius that he was an extremely patient prisoner.

All throughout the night, Matteus hadsaid nothing. He hadn't even looked once at Livius or the others. It was clear he was inside his own mind. It was impossible to decipher what exactly he was thinking, but Livius could pick up many strange emotions and thoughts from within his skull. Guilt. Sadness. A feeling of... betrayal? Towards his... brother? Father? No. Both.

Something else struck Livius; he was only wearing a loincloth now. It was fairly big, but it still only roughly concealed the outlines of the impending goods beneath. Livius mouth was suddenly watery, but he tried to hide his thoughts.

"Why is the prisoner wearing only loincloth?", Livius asked Julius. He noticed the young, cocky soldier smirking somewhat at the question, but he immediately stopped once he noticed he was the only one doing it.

"The pants, for all they were worth, simply were too torn and bloody to be used anymore. We tried to patch them up, but we couldn't, and the loincloth was actually all we could find that could be of use".

The scarred soldier gave a cold grin.

"Also, it's easier to strike directly at the main artery located at the inner thigh if his musculature is visible. One quick strike there and he's dead within the minute", he said with a raspy voice. There was no emotion in his face as he said these words. Clearly, he had done those things before. Livius nodded as a reply.

After reassuring the soldiers that they weren't needed any more, he begun unpacking and arranging his various inventories. The room was certainly big enough to allow for all the tools of his trade, aswell as providing a lot of extra space that would be suitable for absolutely nothing but added luxury of movement. Livius looked outside and gladly noted the black blanket of night drawn across the land. What a day this had been, and what a night. It was remarkable to see the soldiers work so effortlessly with the room, adjusting it to make sure it would hold a minotaur prisoner chained up against a wall. Looking at Matteus, it was still clear he had plenty of room to move. It shouldn't be far too uncomfortable to sleep there, except the floor was a bit dirty and he had nothing to lie down on.

"Would you care for some pillows and sheets? I am sure I saw plenty of extra mattresses and cloth somewhere around here..", Livius began, twisting frantically to locate the elusive items of comfort. As expected, the minotaur said nothing, but at least he looked up at Livius. His heavy brow tilted forward a bit, with an even heavier looking head hanging low as he was crouching on the floor, picking his chains with large hands. An overwhelming sense of sadness fell over him, and Livius was visibly concerned.

"Are you all right, Matteus?".

There was no reply from him, other than a dismal effort to nod. It held no meaning though, no intention. It was an empty jest from an empty soul.

"I realize this has been an overwhelming and heart-wrenching experience for you. I hope you will feel better in time, my bovine friend. I suppose you miss your family? Your father? Maybe you had .. brothers?"

A sudden cringe made the shoulders look as though they were ready to collapse from exhaustion. The question had hit him hard, most likely. The bottomless pits of his irises seemed to grow darker yet, and he started breathing a tiny bit faster. He was still pretty masterful at concealing his emotions, which is rarely a healthy trait.

"I wont dig too far into that. Here, some pillows and sheets - it's all I could find..".

Livius tossed all the spare pillows, sheets and cloth he could find before the minotaur, who passively collected them and made a mound out of them. He lay down and rested his large body against the comfort they provided him with and quickly fell asleep. At least that's how it seemed. Livius did not believe he was truly asleep. With a sigh, Livius felt compelled to start organizing his own bed, and found it to be delightfully big and luxurious. Fantastically well balanced mattress, and a tint of minotaur scent remaining on the warm sheets. He dove into the cloth of the pillow and dragged in the landscape of scents offered to him. His imagination painted fantasy images of what manner of minotaur that had occupied this bed prior to his declaration of forced ownership. After a while, he decided that no image of his own would ever compare to reality. And with that in mind, he opened his eyes to observe Matteus sleep.

It was a pleasant sight to behold. He just lay there, shifting himself slightly in the odd streams of moonlight that bereft the room of complete darkness. Gentle palettes of silver outlined his brown, muscular form. And he was beginning to breathe deeply, too. Livius felt fairly sure he was sound asleep. It had to have been a very exciting few days, for better or for worse. It sure had been to himself. The minotaur seemed a tiny bit uneasy, causing his chains to sound their presence with his minute movements.

Livius knew what he could do. He could help him sleep better. With careful motions, Livius removed the sheet from his body and silently placed his feet on the floor. It was warmer than he expected it to be. Carefully allowing most of his body weight to be centered around his newly planted feet, he pushed himself away from the bed, gaining some leverage as he found his balance. It was an awkward task to sneak like a cat, when exhausted. Matteus just lay there though, as he came closer and closer to him. He was probably exhausted, and very likely he wouldn't notice anything. When Livius was only a meter or so away, he began to conjure a spell. Reaching inside the body of Matteus, he found pressures, streams and flows that the body balances whilst sleeping. There was a clear indication that some of the processes could use some manipulation, to create a deep, effective sleep. Livius pulled in with his astral hands and made the necessary alterations. He moved some streams, pulled and pushed until he was content, then retracted from the inner workings of Matteus precious body. Fine tuning the minotaur to a perfect sleep. No field surgeon can do this.

As the minotaur began to sink even more onto the cushions and sheet, seemingly melting out all over the colorful field of satin and silk, his mouth opened slightly. Livius couldn't help but observe the tongue and the glistening layer of saliva on its slippery surface. The calm, gentle eyes seemed to have found peace at last.

Livius crouched by the giant form, and began to stroke the head. His hand was so incredibly small in relation to this massive, sleeping body. The heavy breathing resounded, like a distant crumbling mountain, in Livius ears. It was a soothing symphony, a force of nature. His fingers quickly found themselves at home around the horns, kneading the base around them. As time went by, he began massaging the back of the head, down towards the neck. With circular motions, he could feel how Matteus tensions disappeared, and a sweet, powerful minotaur scent filled the room. Livius released a sigh as he recognized it, and didn't even afford an attempt of quelling the tears that formed in his eyes. It was a different scent from his former master, but hardly less appealing. It was stronger in a sense, deeper. Not as light.

Livius was smiling, but something had started to feel strange about this whole experience. While pleasant, something was stirring inside the mind of the minotaur, and now his body had begun to twitch. Livius hadn't noticed it at first, but it was becoming increasingly evident that the minotaur was dreaming. Even though Livius was at first thrilled by the idea, something about it made him morose. An emotion was placed inside him, like a strange seed. And like a flower seed, it grew - into something familiar. I have felt this before... from him. Inside his mind. Can I reach it once more perhaps?

Livius closed his eyes and attempted to magnify the leaking magic of his own signature, touching and enhancing its core ability. He gained access to the mind of the minotaur and was somehow summoned before something huge. A black mass of shadows that trickled away, leaving him with an image of himself, standing on an ominous field. He pictured himself before a gateway. It was a strange, big gateway. It seemed to reach ten meters up into the sky, and its scrawny metal bars were like demon claws, praying on the souls of the dead, for there were minotaur corpses lodged onto their twisted edges. The bars even seemed to move, like cats claws retracting around a caught mouse. Echoes of screams filled the air, aswell as packs of vultures hovering mindlessly above patches of blood and body parts. The skyline was dark blue, and it cast an unholy light on everything - except the ground, who seemed to contain details of its own, independent of the strange nighttime glow. Dead grass bathed in blood, and worms crawled all over, twisting and turning in the thick, red pools on the dark soil. The gate suddenly swung open with a fierce crash that made Livius jump in fear. Livius now understood he was about to enter Matteus mind in his sleep. Its very core. A dream. Is this a dream I wish to visit?

~

Walking through nightmarish tracks, seemingly leading nowhere, the air was increasingly thick with tension, blood mists and screams. It was so hard to breathe here. Waving his hands, Livius attempted to control the dream, as though it was his own, lucid dream. It seemed to partially work, as he coerced the demons of the night to scatter. He suddenly saw Matteus. He was wounded, lying on the ground. Livius felt as though he weighed a ton as he ran towards the minotaur, shouting. His shouts were muffled though, stolen by the desperation of Matteus nightmare scenario. He was an invisible guest here, and Matteus did not know about his presence.

As Livius came closer to the minotaur, he was suddenly rooted to the ground. The very earth swallowed his feet and he was unable to take even a single step. Settling for observation, he noticed that Matteus was chained to the ground aswell, with casts of steel intertwined around roots from the earth. He seemed to be looking at something down the road. Livius turned to see.

The cries from before suddenly made ghoulish sense, as they all appeared to come from one source alone; a small minotaur calf, covered in blood. He was crying, holding a toy sword made of wood with one hand, and his wet muzzle with the other; trying to dry his tears. Crouching before him was a large, friendly minotaur who tried to cheer up the small minotaur child. Livius instantly recognized him as Matteus father. But who was the sad little calf? It wasn't Matteus. Still holding his toy sword, he looked at the minotaur before him, and after a moment of thoughtfulness, he began to speak.

"Dad? When is my brother coming home? I miss him so much!", echoed his ghostly voice.

A disturbing sob from the right made Livius flinch. It was Matteus, who was crying, trying to bellow out to the small calf, who couldn't hear him. The calf, aswell as Matteus father, seemed almost translucent. They were ... ghosts?

"You must try to be patient, son. Please be strong for him now, he needs you to be strong. Can you be that for him?"

"How can I be strong, when I can no longer be his big brother?", the calf asked between his sobs.

"You will always be his big brother, not even death can change that fact. And one day, you will meet him again... I promise".

The smile that was given to the calf from his father was heartbreaking. Something about this whole field changed, almost as if daylight found its way to this unhallowed place. In an attempt to return the smile, the minotaur calf wiped the last few tears from his wet chin and looked at his father. Livius felt how he lost control over the dream. He wasn't wanted in here, that much was obvious. He had to know more - but he couldn't stay. The dream world was slowly fading. He looked at Matteus, trying to get him to take notice. It still seemed as though he was a prisoner to the ground beneath him, but for some reason he raised his head and turned to Livius. For what seemed like an eternity, Livius stared into his eyes, and there was no doubt that he had never seen a more perplexed minotaur in his entire life. A sound broke the magical moment however, it was the youngling who had started to jump excitedly on the ground, as though he was thrilled over a future prospect.

The minotaur calf was still looking up at his father, eyes full of questions. He probably asked a million of them, but Livius heard only a few before he was forced away from this place.

"Can we play when I meet him again, daddy? Can we listen to your stories by the fireplace? Can we celebrate all of the birthdays we never got to celebrate in life?"

As they disappeared into darkness, Livius heard the voice of the father figure repeat a number of reassuring words to the small minotaur boy.

~

Livius exhaled as he opened his eyes. He was back in the top room of the minotaur farm. Sweating profusely, he regained his calm quickly when he noticed that Matteus was still sleeping, and sleeping well at that. There was a smile on his face, and tears had been running all over his ivory muzzle. The grizzled hide of his battle-scarred body made him almost seem like a rag doll, resting on a child´s bed. But he was at peace now.

Maybe the dream changed into something nice after all?

Livius discovered his own fatigue, tugging at him like rough weights inside the skull. It was time to sleep. He barely made it to the bed before unconsciousness struck him like a hammer, and he fell down into a long, devastatingly powerful sleep.

He dreamt of minotaur boys playing on a field, and there were no corpses. Only sunlight, sweet summer grass... and two brothers who played with wooden toy swords.