(m/m) Sea Blue Eyes Ch.6

James sat in the corner of the Prince's apartment watching sullenly as his companion stirred his tea, nervously. The prince's eyes were upon the other man in the room, a middle-aged man with silver hair and a pair of small, round spectacles.

'I have examined him at length and apart from his mutilated tongue he seems in good health. I can't account for any wounds on the rest of his body, your majesty, if anything his skin seems…remarkably clean and smooth. I've never seen anything like it really,' the man paused to take off his glasses and polish them against his shirt, 'there's no scars no blemishes, nothing at all.'

'But…' the Prince cast his eyes downwards, upon his tea, 'the blood, all the blood…where did it come from?' The doctor looked uneasy.

'I can't say. It's difficult to question the young man, of course and I can't find any wounds by myself.'

'Could it…' The prince began, his voice was low and anxious, a slightly nauseous hiss, '…could it be possibly that he was…raped?' The suggestion hung in the air, hideously and James looked towards his friend with concern.

'I…have not examined him that closely,' the doctor admitted, 'but…it is possible. I did not see any wounds to cause concern…'

'Is it possible,' James spoke, 'that the blood might not be his?' The prince's head jerked but he did not admonish his friend for making the suggestion. His brows tightened and he looked very intently at the doctor, awaiting his response.

'This is,' the doctor said delicately, 'also possible. We have no way of knowing what exactly has happened to the boy or how he came to be in the position you found him in.'

'Someone attacked him,' the prince said with a firm tone, as if re-affirming the fact to himself, 'they cut out his tongue.'

'Certainly,' the doctor said, quickly, 'the wound seems quite fresh although it has already begun to heal well.'

'He has been brutalized,' the prince said, his voice a little wavering as he made the statement, 'you don't honestly think-' he turned his head to stare at James, imploringly, 'you don't think he could have fought someone in turn do you?' James met the prince's eyes with a measured gaze.

'He could have got that blood on his legs in any way,' James said, carefully, 'I'm not saying he fought anyone, although he may have been in the right to do so – since he's been so mutilated – perhaps some terrible incident happened with several people. We don't know. I'm just suggesting. I'm not saying that he isn't a victim.'

'He is a victim,' the prince repeated, but only in a whisper. They were all silent for a few moments before the prince lifted his head back up and asked, very quietly.

'Do you think he might be mad, doctor?' The doctor considered the question, thoughtfully.

'He does not appear so,' he said, but in a uncertain reserved tone, 'he seems perfectly calm and composed. When I examined him he appeared self-conscious but willing. He seemed to understand the situation and tried hard to obey my instructions correctly.'

'You hesitated though,' the prince said, his brows constricted once more, 'as if, there was something you needed to say?' The doctor gave a little cough and raised his eyebrows as he spoke, directly to the prince.

'He can't read or write.' The prince's face relaxed a little but he looked more confused still.

'Is that…so alarming?' he asked, 'there are plenty of people who aren't literate. I didn't think he was a nobleman.'

'It's not just that he's not literate,' the doctor continued, delicately, 'I put a piece of paper and a pen in front of him after I examined him and asked him if he could write something . I hoped that if he was literate he would explain what had happened to him. He stared at the piece of paper for a while and tried to pick up the pen and made some marks on the paper – but he didn't seem to have any idea about what he was doing.'

'It's only natural though, isn't it?' the prince protested, 'even if he can't write he might have wanted to try, to pretend. He might have been…embarrassed.'

'I think you misunderstand me, your majesty,' the doctor said, 'he looked at the paper and pen as if he had no idea what they were for. He tried to use the wrong side of the pen and, when he eventually discovered the nib and how to make marks all he did was make several long lines right across the paper. He made some thin and some thick. I think...perhaps…he thought I was testing him on how neatly he could do this…What I'm trying to say, your majesty, is that I don't it's just that he can't read or write but that I don't think he even knows what writing is!'

The prince stared at the doctor for a long time, his mouth felt dry and he swallowed several times, quite deeply, before he spoke again.

'Perhaps you were mistaken,' he said, 'perhaps there was a misunderstanding.' The doctor said nothing to this but it was clear from his face that he thought his assessment of the situation was accurate.

'He has such long hair,' James said quietly, after a moment.

'You think that makes him mad?' the prince shot back at him, earnestly, 'it's only hair, surely just a matter of fashion. You can't use that to assess his mental state.'

'Please, think about it,' James said, quite gently, 'in what society could he have been permitted to grow his hair long? I think he must have grown up somewhere very isolated and given the situation in which we found him…I mean, it must have been pretty desperate. Perhaps he was even held as a captive.'

'Do you think that's possible?' The prince asked the doctor, his eyes wide and imploring.

'I honestly can't say anything for certain,' the doctor told him, 'but it is my opinion that he has been…very deprived. I think he seems very reasonable but he may need a lot of care and instruction. I know that you may feel a desire to help this boy, your majesty, but he may need more attention that you can supply.'

The prince was quiet again, with his head bowed down slightly, as he considered the doctor's words.

'I want to try, doctor,' he said quietly, 'do you think he will be responsive?'

'I think he seems very responsive,' the doctor told him, 'but you can't be certain whether he could reveal himself to be more unstable later. I would advise you that if this does happen you must refer this young man to some form of institution. The monastery would probably be very appropriate in this case.'

'I will consider that,' the princes said, but reluctantly. James nodded from his corner.

'I have some salves that will attend to the boy's tongue,' the doctor said, pulling out a small glass jar from his bag and placing it on the table in front of him, the ointment inside the jar was slimy and white. 'If you require more then I can of course deliver some to you.'

'Thank you doctor,' the prince said, rising with the other man as he gathered together his bag and coat, 'I will let you know if I need more assistance.'

Once the doctor had gone the two men sat together in silence for a while, now and again moving the china about on the table, absently.

'I know you don't agree with my actions,' the prince murmured to his companion.

'I just want you to take care,' James told him, 'consider the situation seriously…'