IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is the next chapter. I have the unfortunate new to tell you that I will no longer be posting to fanfiction . net. I will be continuing to post the story to Archive of our Own and tumblr as well as my other stories, however I am done on this site. If you would like to stay tuned with the story feel free to visit my archive page (LiteratureWork) or tumblr (literature-works). If you are not on either of these cites, I will be willing to send you the updates if you would like. I will still be on this site, just no longer posting stories here.

Harry Potter and the Eastern Sage

Chapter 15

The King

Shing! Shing! Shing!

"I couldn't believe it was true when I heard that there was an immortal witch in Egg of all places," the elegantly dressed man chuckled as he took his time sharpening the thin blade of his knife on a wet stone.

Shing! Shing!

"I definitely couldn't believe it when I saw you, a runty little child."

Shing! He inspected the blade for a moment before turning an eye towards Edward and grinning too widely.

"But, here you are. A gift from God disguised as the devil himself. How does no mortal wound hurt you? Even scar you? That little punk King Arthur would be very upset if he ever found out I had you. Even more so if I ever found out what made you. That kind of power would give a man an empire, the world even."

"ahhhghher," Edward attempted to argue, but the mask choked his words just like it choked his friends comforting words from his mind. He was alone with a man too acquainted with the suffering of others. The Duke of Hervor walked over to where he was heavily bound in chains and knelt down next to him. Edward couldn't move even if he wanted to. The flat end of the blade bounced on his metal shoulder making soft chinking noises as it hit. The man wielded it like a writer with a pen lost in thought. Every time it hit Edward forced himself not to flinch as he imagined the next tap to be into his skin. He knew how it felt. The villagers and guards did not give him any need to imagine what death might feel like as they attempted to execute him for his crimes. However, as he heard the blade tap on his burnt and useless automail arm, he knew that the dungeons would be different. The Duke didn't want to kill him like the villagers did. He wanted to find what made him tick. Edward only knew what death felt like. He didn't know what living did.

"With the power to do anything, why didn't you have the power to escape? That mask can't be the only thing keeping you here," the man pondered aloud. The dagger stopped bouncing and the Duke looked down at him. Cold black eyes studied him, taking in every feature of his face that was not hidden by the mask's heavy expression. The blade stopped bouncing and it was only a couple seconds before it had found its way between two of Edward's ribs. The duke's expression didn't change as Edward gasped for air, a horrible moan escaping the mask.

"Interesting," he hummed as he grabbed Edward's head and slammed it to the dungeon floor. Edward struggled to fight him but soon he heard the click of the contraption being unlocked. The instant the mask was off the red lights around the wound began to light up and heal. Edward gulped as his lungs repaired themselves.

"Brother!" Alphonse's voice brought tears to his eyes more so than the pain in his side. However, the Duke mistook it and quickly jerked the dagger out of his side to curiously watch the stone heal the wound completely.

"Gah!" Edward exclaimed at the force of it which only made his brother panic more. He would have cursed the man out for stabbing him. He would have fought the man with all of his might but hearing his brother disarmed him. At that moment he didn't want to do anything but talk to him. Unfortunately, Alphonse was too hysterical to converse and it was Hohenheim that took over.

"Use the stone, Edward," Hohenheim ordered him stiffly. "Use the stone and free yourself." Tears streamed down Edwards face and he shook his head.

"I-I can't. I can't."

"Do it now!"

"I can't."

"Edward! Don't keep dying like this! Use the stone before he puts the mask back on! You can't move your hands, you can barely move at all. The stone is your only way to get out of here!" his father barked at him. "We can't see you die anymore!" A chorus of voices rang up through the stone in agreement. Mustang, Hawkeye, even Mrs. Hughes. He heard them all argue with him to save himself. A sob left Edward's mouth as he was overwhelmed by joy and shame at the sound of his family's voices.

"I can't," he wheezed.

"Brother, you fucking idiot! Use it!" Alphonse cried. The fear in his voice only managed to make him feel worse. Alphonse and everyone else in the stone would continue to watch him get hurt until he figured out a way to get out of there. He didn't know if he was morally right to not use the stone anymore or if he was simply selfish. He couldn't do it and it pained him. If he used the stone he would be free. He would stop the pain and he would stop his friends suffering of having to watch him go through it. But using the stone had worse consequences. Healing mortal wounds took far less energy than creating something out of nothing. If he died, the stone's repair would only take a few years at a time from the soul's reserves. If he used it and the toll was great enough, multiples of them could die. And that person could be anyone, even his little brother.

"I'm sorry," Edward whispered.

"Yes, very interesting," the Duke hummed before Edward heard the clank of the metal mask getting picked up off the stone floor. Edward struggled and fought. Chains that tied him down clanked with the ferocity of his struggles but the mask was too easily placed back on him and locked in place. The weight of it dragged his head back to the stone floor with a loud thud. He tried to listen as hard as he could for his brother's voice but it was gone. The world was silent.

"It seems that at the very least you can't heal yourself if the mask is on which makes this a lot easier for me," the Duke hummed, seeming oblivious to the internal struggle that Edward was fighting. The man stood up and walked back to the bench that he had drawn his dagger from, wiping the blood off onto a white cloth. He set the dagger down gently onto the table as if it was made of glass. He surveyed his options before reaching over and picking up what appeared to be a long ten inch needle. Upon closer inspection of it driving into Edward's neck did he realize it was a nail.

"If you won't tell me the secrets to immortality, I will simply find them out for myself," the man grinned. "There are only so many ways to pick someone apart."

…..

Edward was hurt. He was cold and he was pained. However, the only thing he could feel was tired. It has been what he could only guess was two years since he was locked away in the Duke's dungeon. Two gruesome years before he finally saw the sun again. As he was dragged out of the dungeons, the dreary cloud covered sun hit his face and the only thing Edward could do was relish in it. The winter had bit into his body and forever sent shivers down his arms and legs. He hadn't stopped trembling since the first winter he was there. The sun, though obscured by a mass of grey clouds, felt nice though he could have been imagining it all. It wouldn't have been the first time.

He didn't have enough strength in him to feel scared about the change in routine and he didn't have enough in him to fight it. Upon learning that he was to be moved, the guards took extra care to make him feel at home with their iron coated boots before they threw him in the back of an old rickety cart that trailed behind the ebony carriage of the Duke of Hervor. With the heavy iron mask on his head, he hit the splintery wooden boards of the cart and could only lay where the soldiers had tossed him. He didn't know where they were taking him just as he didn't know where the hell he even was in the strange land called England. He heard talk about meeting the King but he didn't know if that was just going to be a new face or a different dungeon. The Duke was angry at having to bring him and Edward could feel that something was going to happen. He didn't think it was going to be good at all. He would have been terrified if he could feel anything at that moment.

The bumping of the cart didn't bother him as he closed his eyes. He was weak, horribly weak, as starvation and torture had taken their toll even on a man who couldn't be hurt. He tried to lift his hands up to look at them but he didn't even have the strength to do that. He bet he was a skeleton. If he looked in the mirror he would have mistaken his reflection for a corpse. He fell in and out of sleep as he guards would kick him every now and then to make sure he was even alive. If he died there it would have been the only the tenth time he died of malnourishment or negligence. Simply taking the mask off would revive him but rehabilitation would have taken months.

It took hours but soon he felt the heavy shadow of a castle wall fall over him as the convoy pulled into the grand castle. From the time it took the carts to even reach the front entrance of the castle Edward could tell that it was big. He shivered at the idea of their dungeon being bigger. There was a lurch as the horses were pulled to a halt and a sudden slam as the Duke stormed out of his carriage.

"Keep him there unless otherwise noted. I will be damned if that brat gets him!" the man bit as his footsteps stormed away. The guards around Edward tightened their grip on the chains that had bound his hands and legs. Something was going to happen. They all knew it.

…

"Merlin stop shaking," Professor Ravenclaw snipped as she batted his trembling hands and ordered him to stand up straight. He shoved his hands behind his back to try and feign composure. It didn't work. The King glanced over at him and raised a brow at his worry.

"You are my most trusted advisor, Merlin, and friend. I must believe that this isn't some tall tale you are spinning but immortality is most fantastical, even the idea that the Duke is illegally holding people in his dungeon without my knowing is absurd."

"Your Highness, I would not lie about this. He saved my life from the witch hunts. I thought he was dead. Until we started to hear rumors."

"Rumors aren't truth, merely gossip."

"When Merlin first brought his concerns to us, I used a pinpoint charm to seek Paracelsus out and found him to be in the Duke of Hervor's castle. It wouldn't have worked if he was dead," Ravenclaw said. Merlin knew that Professor Ravenclaw was the wisest of Hogwart's founders and had gone to her in hopes that she would help him find Paracelsus. After he saved his life from the villagers of Egg, Merlin searched high and low for someone who would help save him. His mother argued that he shouldn't help the wizard since it was he who had brought his fate upon him, but Merlin couldn't leave a debt unpaid. It wasn't right that Paracelsus was getting punished when he didn't even know what he did or even where he was at. However, people were either too scared to go into the dutchy of Hervor or they simply didn't care enough to help a stranger. Merlin's own family wouldn't dare go back to Egg in fear of being caught again. Merlin asked her and the heads of his school for help and all of them instantly agreed. He didn't know if it was their care for the kid or the mysterious circumstances he arrived in that hooked the professors to the search but he didn't care. They all pulled any string they could find to get him into acquaintance with the King. With the political ties between the King, the Duke, and the wizards, steps needed to be taken lightly to avoid war and persecution. Though Merlin wanted nothing more than to barge into the Duke's dungeon and free Paracelsus, he couldn't. It took them two years to settle into the King's agreement and to make a meeting with the Duke concerning Paracelsus' well being. Now Professor Ravenclaw, the wisest of the founders and well versed in court behaviors, etiquette and politics, was there to represent the wizarding community in the conference. It was better, Merlin thought, than being by himself. He didn't imagine himself to be a good politician. Not with how he was shaking.

"Is everything alright, your highness?" Merlin asked as he noticed Arthur was looking disturbed. He had been assigned as the King's personal mage for two years now as his apprenticeship when he was not in school. The Royal advisors thought it best if the King had a mage around his age to help with the coping of magic. Being the only person around the king's age made it very easy for them not only to get along but to become friends. He could tell something was bothering the King as they awaited for the arrival of the Duke.

"The idea of immortality being real is… frightening. If that were to get in the wrong hands…"

"He's a person, your highness, not a weapon."

"There comes times of such desperation that someone can't tell the difference."

Suddenly the doors to the hall burst open and the Duke of Hervor came rushing into the grand hall, the poor squire running after him.

"Duke Johan of Hervor!" the squire feebly announced far too late as the Duke was already kneeling at the base of the steps that lead up to the throne. The anger radiating off the man was deadly. He glared at Professor Ravenclaw and Merlin before giving his blessings to the King he served under.

"Your Highness, I humbly followed your call though I feel that there was no need to call over something so simple-"

"You illegally held a person in your dungeons without verifying their presence with me," Arthur snapped cutting the man off. He didn't like that.

"He was a criminal. He destroyed half of my crops, most of which were the peasant's own fields. He deserved to be punished. For his debt to the Dutchy I simply took his enslavement as payment. The possible lives of the serfs who will starve without the food he destroyed, for the life of a filthy witch."

"Magic is not illegal in England and yet witch hunts pursue in your dutchy."

"But slavery is not," the Duke smiled. "I had no idea that the witch hunts were continuing in my land until I was told about this unkillable heathen. I made sure that they had stopped after I apprehended the criminal."

"He lies," Merlin whispered to the King only to receive a sharp elbow to the ribs from his professor. The woman gave him a strict glare. Arthur didn't say anything for a while. He simply sat there and studied the man in front of him. It took a few seconds but it seemed that the King had come to his own conclusion on the matter.

"I don't want to override the Dutchy's autonomy. You have the right to rule your land as long as you follow the rules that the Kingdom sets out for you. Due to the ambivalence behind your most recent prisoner, it would be in the Kingdom and the Dutchy's best interest to nullify any possible misunderstandings. As long as you follow the laws of witchcraft and imprisonment from here on out, I will offer you a hefty amount to buy your newest slave." The Duke's eyes widened.

"But… But… your highness, he is such a unique and strange asset. I am sure that the price would be far too high-"

"Unless you want to start a war between your Dutchy and the rest of the Kingdom over your complete disregardance for my rule. I would suggest you take the offer. And as I stated before, any price." King Arthur glared down at the fool of a man infront of him. It appeared like he wanted to fight the King. A fourty year old ruler looked silly being beated by an 11 year old brat. However, it was obvious that the result of that was not going to be in his favor at all. The man growled and grabbed the collar of the squire's tunic behind him.

"Bring the beast in."

"Sir-"

"Bring him in!" the Duke howled and kicked the young boy towards the door. The kid went running out the door and disappeared within seconds.

"Merlin, stop shaking," Professor Ravenclaw ordered again. Her stern and logical personality was not the most calming thing at that moment. He wondered why it couldn't have been Professor Slytherin with him at that moment and not her. He clasped his hands tightly.

Suddenly the doors were slammed open so fast that the heavy oak hit the wall with an ear shattering bang. Two large guards stormed in carrying a small sack of something. Chains clattered with every step they took up to the Duke. It wasn't until they threw the thing they were carrying down on the floor at the Duke's feet that Merlin realized it was a person. He was naked and bone thin to the point he couldn't even lift his head off the stone floor. Heavy breaths escaped out the metal mask that encased his head as the man was too weak to even breathe without a struggle. Merlin thought it was a joke. The Duke was trying to trick them for sure. Surely that skeleton of a person was not the strong boy that had apparated in the middle of the wheat field two whole years ago. However as Merlin caught sight of the strange silver metal that encased the boy's entire arm and shoulder, he knew that it was true. That was Paracelsus.

…

"1000 gold and ten of your best horses," the Duke barked above him at someone that Edward could not see. It sounded like he was being sold. Edward should have been concerned. He should have been terrified. But he found himself only to be tired and wanting any form of relief. He didn't care who took him. He didn't care who would be the face behind the next knife. Edward only wanted a break for a few moments and so he did the only thing he could do and laid there where the guards had dropped him. His body trembled horribly as his frozen state warmed up and burned in the heated chamber room. It felt like he was on the stake again. He struggled to lift himself from the floor as to ease the sensation but the mask and chains held him down. He was too weak to even move himself.

"I will double that. Now release him," a young voice replied from across the room finishing the exchange of his life for a measly pile of gold. Edward closed his eyes as he heard the drop of his chains to the floor as the guards backed away from him as to let room for his new captors to take over. He didn't want to watch them drag him away. Footsteps pounded down the stairs and soon Edward was staring at delicately sewn slippers of a well-dressed man. The heavy mask around him was lifted off the floor and his head gently came to rest on someone's lap as they struggled to unlock the contraption from him. They were releasing him. Edward blinked as he stared up blankly at the person who fumbled over his locks to free him. His vision took its slow time to focus but it revealed a rather familiar face above him.

"Don't worry Paracelsus, it's me, Merlin," he heard the soft comforting voice from years ago tell him. He blinked once more dazedly at him as he tried to focus some more. It had to be a dream. There was no way that the farm boy from two years ago was there in the King's castle. He was hallucinating. It wouldn't be the first time. He often saw things that weren't there when he was alone in the dungeons either recovering from some odd poison the Duke shoved down his throat or losing his mind to hysteria. But no matter how he tried to make Merlin disappear, he was still there. There was a snap and suddenly the mask fell away, the heavy metal peeling away from his skin. Air rushed onto his face where it couldn't reach before and Edward let out a horrible moan of relief as his jaw slammed tightly shut, having been pried open for months on end. He couldn't remember the last time the Duke had to take the mask off. He had gotten more careful about it over the years of his confinement. Edward closed his eyes and reached up to touch his face. His skin was paper thin and clammy though his mouth was parched and dry. He rubbed the sides of his face where the edges of the mask had dug in. It was gone?

"Brother!" he heard Alphonse exclaim in a happy sob. How long had it been since he heard his voice? He couldn't remember, but it brought tears to his eyes. Edward didn't know what else to do but cry. He wanted to talk to his brother. He wanted to hug him and embrace him after being apart for so long but his mouth was glued shut from months of strain and his brother was still bodiless and trapped inside of him. The most he could do was listen to his friends voices and relish in them when he could. He didn't know when they would return him to the mask once more. He doubted his new warden was stupid enough to let him go.

"Brother, you are safe. It's Merlin! Look!" Edward opened his eyes again but his vision was clouded through the tears. He blinked them away and still the face of the youngest Ambrosius remained. It was not an illusion. It really was that little farm boy he accidentally had sentenced to death two years ago.

Someone tugged on his wrists and his feet and soon the shackles that restrained him there fell away and their heavy chains hauled off. The cool air soothed the rough and calloused skin that scarred his ankle and wrist. He stared at his bare hands quizzically. He could clap his hands and be free from there. Was it really that simple now? Two years in the frozen dungeon and just like that he was free. No struggle. No glorious fight. They just let him go. Gentle hands laid on his shoulder causing him to look up.

"Paracelsus, it is me, Merlin, remember? You saved my life," the boy above him whispered gently. He could only nod his head in acknowledgement. "It took me forever to find you. But you are free now. It's alright." Something that resembled a smile stretched across Edward's face. His muscles were strained and weak he had almost forgotten how to make one. He smiled back at Merlin, his gratitude for his release coming out in blubbering tears of joy and relief. He was free. However, his rejoicing did not last long as an outraged burst bounded across the room.

"Take your damn horses, your fucking highness!" the Duke growled as he seemed to be overcome by his wits seeing Edward freed. Edward looked up to see the man storming back towards him, a starved look in his eyes. The pure hate that lived there was boiling over seeing Edward freed with other people he was trying to persecute. He had lost his mind when he had lost the wager. "For the kingdom of God, this devil dies tonight!" Edward struggled to bring his hands together as the Duke grabbed a hold of one of the guards swords. In a second the sword was plunged into his chest and screams erupted around the chamber room. Edward gasped for air and choked on the pain, the Duke staring down at him with victory. As the guards around the room lifted their weapons to retaliate against the attack, Edward strained to bring his hand up and grab a hold of the blade lodged into him. The instant his fingers touched a blue alchemic energy sparked along the length of the sword. Not being freed in the entirety of his captivity, the duke didn't understand what happened when he clapped his hands. The end of the sword warped and shot out, piecing a hole through the duke's chest as he stood over him. The now double edged sword held them both in place.

"M-monster," the man wheezed as he struggled to hold what little life he had left. Guards ran forward and shoved the duke off of him and the sword was quickly removed. Red lights sprang up around his wound and in a second, the pain was no more. Edward drew in a greedy breath and coughed as strong arms wrapped around his chest and lifted him to his feet. His eyes fell down to the floor and caught the Duke's corpse discarded there. Edward felt his blood run cold as he stared into his unseeing eyes. I killed him. The shock froze his mind as he was hauled away from the fight. Guards flowed around the room barking unheard orders. The dark haired woman followed beside him, talking quickly and yet Edward could hear nothing. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw a golden man standing in the throne room, unfazed by the chaos around him. The crowned man, no, boy stared at him, an oddly pleased smile on his face. Edward felt the icy touch of fear ingrain itself into his bones as he was hauled out of the room and behind closed doors. He didn't think the Duke was the biggest threat in that room.

….

Edward stared up at the ceiling as he soaked in the warm back of water that enveloped him. It was warm, nearly too warm as it heated him through to his bones. He was shocked when Merlin had not carried him down to a dungeon. He was even more shocked when the kid had brought him to a well furnished chamber room and began to run a bath for him. This wasn't what was supposed to happen. He had killed someone. Killed someone. And they weren't punishing him for it. He still saw the Duke's dead eyes staring at him when he blinked. He did something that he had never wanted to do under any circumstance. His friends argued that it was defense, but what could an immortal man need to defend himself against? He was shaking so badly from the whole event Merlin had to take several minutes to calm him down.

"He had wrongfully imprisoned you and attacked someone in the King's court room. He would have been sentenced to death anyways. What he did to you was horribly wrong. We are going to take care of you. You need not be afraid anymore." Merlin had consoled him for a long time as well as his brother and friends. He didn't accept that it happened, the weight of the murder stilled weighed on his chest, but he followed the small commands of Merlin to get into the tub and get clean. It was the only thing he could do.

The warm water soothed his bones and washed away the blood, dirt, and grime that had collected on him over the two entire years of confinement. Edward felt his thoughts fade away to the background as he washed away the past two years. Every clump of dirt peeled away, every patch of blood crumbled off. He found himself scratching his face as if to peel the invisible remnants of the mask off him. He still felt it there.

"Stop scratching your face, brother. It is not on you anymore." Edward closed his eyes and sank himself lower into the bathtub. He sat there and listened to the people in the stone chat amongst themselves and to him. Apparently when he was locked away in the mask, Hohenheim began to introduce all of the Xerxians to all of the Amestrians. With two whole years with nothing to do but to talk to each other, it seemed everyone got well acquainted. He even heard Mustang and Winry talk to people who Edward did not know at all nor even recognize in passing. The whole country knew each other, except that was for him. However, he didn't mind. He had the feeling that he would have plenty of time to meet everyone. Right then, all he wanted to do was breathe and enjoy the presence of his friends even though he could not see them. He didn't know when they would go away again.

There was a soft clanking and Edward silently glanced over to the corner of the room where the woman was stirring something in a rather large black cauldron. Merlin had left him when the King had called and Edward was alone with this woman called Ravenclaw. Steam wafted off the odd mixture as she ladled some into a wooden goblet. She blew on it as if that would help cool it off. Edward was so entranced with what she was doing that he didn't even realize that she was handing it to him until he felt her nudge his shoulder.

"Drink this," she ordered. Edward stared down into the odd brown substance. It was bubbling and reminded him of someone trying to boil mud. "It's not poisonous," she said as if she had read his thoughts. "It is a nutrition potion to give you your strength back." Edward hesitated until his friends encouraged him that he was fine and then delicately took a small sip. The taste of raspberries instantly overwhelmed him and he spat what little he had out of his mouth. He grimaced and shook his head to get the taste out. It was good but he couldn't stand it. It was way too strong. The woman grabbed the goblet before he could drop it and let out a tired sigh. She set it down on the small table that held the soaps and the scissors that the servants were going to use to cut the matte of hair off of his head. Edward didn't let them do that, not yet. The woman picked up the pair of scissors. It seemed like she was going to finish what was left undone.

"I discussed with the King as to your position here in the castle. As he purchased and now owns you, he is of the authority to decide what to do with you. He imagines that keeping you locked up like the Duke did would be a waste of his property," she told him as she took a seat in a wooden chair left by the wash basin. Edward tried to wiggle away from her but he knew that no matter what someone was going to cut his hair. It was knotted and so packed full of sweat and dirt that it was practically a rock on his head. It needed to go.

"It will grow back," Alphonse told him softly. There was a snip and a large piece of his hair fell down to the floor. Edward sighed, trying to calm how upset he was. Why of all things was he so distraught about something so petty?

"There is normality in keeping something so simple the same. It is a part of you. You have a right to be upset," Hawkeye told him. "But your brother is right, it will grow back soon enough."

"I don't like it," he muttered, his voice hoarse and jaw barely opening to squeeze the words out. Months with the mask on left him near speechless. He was reminded, again, that that too will pass.

"You don't like being out of the dungeons?" Ravenclaw asked rhetorically. "Well we could surely arrange for you return if that is what you wish-"

"NO!" Edward yelped, his voice cracking. He pulled away from the woman and in his outburst tried to stand up. He only effectively fell back into the wash tub making a huge wave of water splash over the edge. He still couldn't walk, especially not with a nonworking automail leg. He sat half submerged in the warm bath, useless, and pleading to be anywhere but the dungeons. It was the only thing he could do and the woman looked at him unimpressed. She reached over and handed him back the goblet that he had turned away.

"Maybe if you finish this you might be able to stand," she scolded him. "You aren't going back there. Merlin and I wouldn't allow it. Merlin vouched for your aptitude in magic and the King has decided to make you a royal mage should you complete all of the necessary course work. I contacted the rest of the professors at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and we agreed to enroll you."

"No such thing," Edward croaked. Ravenclaw did not look offended. She simply raised her brow curiously.

"Nothing is impossible. Surely you must know this as you are a prime example of that fact." Edward looked down. She was right. He was an immortal philosopher's stone now. He held over 50 million people inside of him and couldn't be killed by normal means. To most it was impossible. Maybe magic wasn't that far off. He wanted to retort some more and to ask for some explanation to the magic that these people were talking about but paused as he watched her stand up. She waved her wand behind her and suddenly the wooden chair she had once been sitting on followed her around to the other side of the washtub that he was now sitting at. She gently set it down and sat so that she could continue to cut his hair. However, she couldn't start as he was there gaping at her.

"Close your mouth and drink your juice. One would have thought someone taught you manners," she ordered before turning his head around and snipping off another piece of hair. "You are a wizard, Paracelsus, believe it or not, and you better make the best of it."

"I-I'm an alchemist, not a-a-a…. witch," Edward said, the last word coming out a whisper as if the word itself would burn him again.

"There is a book in our school that records the names of all witches and wizards when they come of age. That is usually around the ages of 10 or 11. It is a wonder why you're a teenager and your name hasn't appeared in it until now but it is there. Or am I wrong and Edward Elric is not your name, Paracelsus?" Edward's eyes widened and he looked back at the woman, slightly frightened. How did she know? He didn't tell anyone his real name in this world. Even Merlin only knew him as Paracelsus. Ravenclaw gave a small smile, the only ones she seemed to know how to give, and turned his head back around so she could finish cutting it.

"The pin pointing charm only works with real names. It didn't work with Paracelsus so I tried every name that appeared in the book within the last 20 years that I didn't already know belonged to someone. Edward Elric happened to be it. I will address you as Paracelsus if you would like me to. No one has to know but me." Edward nodded his head. He would like it better if he was just someone else. A name that would fit in would make him feel more comfortable when he himself did not.

"But… I-I can't do magic-"

"Have you ever tried?" He didn't answer. The woman sighed.

"Paracelsus, you are the same person no matter what powers you wield, no matter what tricks you can do, you are still the same person. Whether or not you call yourself a witch doesn't matter. You still have an innate magical ability in you. Learning magic is the last chance of near complete freedom the King is willing to give you. If you choose not to do it, he will put you back in the dungeons as no other option. You are in no state to fight about this." Edward felt a rock settle in his chest as he realized he didn't have a choice whether or not he wanted to be a witch. He was going to learn magic or find the mask back on him in a new dungeon. It was probably a way that the King wanted to keep him in check. He would be taught under the watchful eye of some of the most powerful and skilled wizards in the world. If he chose not to do what the King said the probably wouldn't hesitate to bring him back one way or another. Edward bit his lip as he closed his eyes tiredly. He really didn't have a choice.

Ravenclaw snipped off one last piece of hair. Soon he heard the clatter of scissors and a mirror was placed in front of his face for him to see only Edward wasn't looking at his hair. The face that looked back at him was not his. It was some stranger, bone thin and worn out. Their eyes were sunken into their head like there wasn't enough there to even hold them up. He could count every rib and probably if he took the time, he probably could have counted every bone in the man's body. That wasn't him.

"Don't recognize yourself, do you?" Ravenclaw asked softly though her sympathy was subtle. Edward reached up a hand to touch his face just to see if the person in the mirror copied him. They did. "If you drink the potions I give you, you will be back to yourself in no time," she snipped before trading the mirror for the cup he still hadn't touched. Under the pressure of her watchful gaze, he took another sip. Raspberries. He coughed.

"Once you are strong enough, I will send word back to Godric. We will head to Hogwarts as soon as you are willing." She said that to reassure him but it must have been obvious that he was still confused, skeptical even. She signed and set a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Don't you worry about what you believe is real or not. We will teach you the ways of a wizard and you will have the choice whether to follow them or not, Paracelsus. Diving into the unknown is not as scary as you might think. Who knows, it might give you answers to the questions you have not yet asked," she told him wisely. "Now finish that up and let's get you into bed. You won't get out of this castle any faster if you lollygag on healing." Edward tried his best to drink the rest of his potion but only managed to down a quarter before his was full. Ravenclaw helped him out of the wash tub and over to the large feather bed in the center of the chamber room. His automail leg and arm were dead weights to him. With as much weight and mass that he lost, he doubted that wearing them was good for him. Edward was panting by the time he hit the bed from the excursion.

"Take your automail off if the joints didn't melt together," Winry ordered him. Edward blindly followed her orders and fingered for the release latch on his leg. He closed his eyes and winced as he pulled on the leaver. A shot of pain rattled through him but luckily the leg easily slid out of the port. He was lucky the fires didn't damage the port more than it had or else he was in for a bad trip. The relief of removing the weight from his already strained port was immense. He let out a soft sigh as he found himself relaxing. He didn't know how to fix his automail, but that was a problem for another day. He would have to alchemize a false leg when he could. Nothing more than a fancy peg leg. But if he could walk by himself once he had the strength to do so, he would be happy. Ravenclaw watched him carefully take his arm off and even helped slide it out of the port once the lever was pulled. They obviously did not have that technology in England as far as Edward could tell but she seemed like a fast learner. She set his arm and leg down on a desk beside the bed and handed him a pile of fresh clothes. He would have been embarrassed to be naked in front of the woman, but he didn't have the will to care.

"Get dressed, and go to bed. I will have some more potions for you in the morning. If you need anything call upon one of the servants and they will fetch me or Merlin," she said before taking her leave. Edward listened as she closed the door but did not hear her leave the doorway. It seemed like she was talking to someone outside but he couldn't hear any words. Edward looked down and fingered the silken clothes in his hand. He was not used to all of this luxury. It made him afraid that he would wake up and it would simply not be there anymore. However, that fear did not stop him from indulging in them while he could. He slid into the clothes he was given and under the covers of the bed. They were so warm and soft that he had fallen to sleep near instantly.