It had been weeks. Since she’d seen him. Weeks since she’d heard a peep outside of the walls of Deoksugung palace. At first it had been fine but now…now it felt like a cold prison. The weeks spent here compared to her time in captivity were one and the same. The only difference was that she had silk clothes, silk shoes, and a luxurious bed to sleep on every night. Since arriving, her morning sickness had only increased and she found she could not keep anything down. She had tried to keep it from Anat but she’d caught the sight of a small but rounded bump during a mid-day change. She persisted that they return to the main palace but she couldn’t. Not… not yet while she felt so miserable. 

    Her breasts were tender and sore and she found herself more emotional than normal. She tried telling herself that it was just the remnants of her cycle.. a cycle that had not come for weeks. You’re with child Tiye. You’re pregnant. Lifting shaky hands downward, she eyed her body as indeed it had begun to change. Caressing her tiny little bump, she felt tears well up in her eyes. She wanted…no…she needed her husband. To experience this alone…it…it devastated her. 

    “Lady Tiye?” 

    “What is it?” 

    “The Crown prince has arrived. Shall I prepare a room for him?” Her heart began to beat into her very ears and she turned, eyes wide with relief. 

    “Yes at once.”

    “Of course my lady.” 

    “Anat!” 

    “Yes, Sister Tiye?”

    “Help me get ready. Cheol-su has come.” She lit up and hugged her. 

    “I’d be happy to.” 

*** 

    Night had fallen and at last, she was ready. She’d soaked all day in baths of crushed petal and goat milk, had her entire body exfoliated and had her lady parts trimmed nice and neat. Her hair she’d requested to leave down, pulled back some, and unbraided. The only thing she asked was that it resembled small waves like that of the sea. She’d dressed in beautiful pink, red-purple, and crimson dress. A tasteful yet enticing V neckline covered enough of her fragranced skin and yet inspired curiosity. The whole ensemble resembled the sunset in the evening, just before night painted the sky black and the stars took to light up the atmosphere. A slender decorative belt outlined her waist. A gold necklace lined individually with a stone of the same color caressed her collarbone and earrings of the like dangled from her ears. 

    “Sweet Sister Tiye… you are radiant.” Anat praised, coming to take her hand. 

    “Thank you dear one. Come, we must hurry.” 

    “Of course.” 

    *** 

    She felt silly as she entered… the nervousness that strummed low in her belly. Nervousness mixed with anticipation. She yearned for him so. Swallowing, she feasted on the man who sat in front of her, tall and poised, his hand dropping below to lift a cup of what she was sure was rice wine to his awaiting lips. 

    “I was sure you forgot about me here husband.” 

    “I wouldn’t dare.” Smiling, she neared him ever closer as the doors behind them were shut quietly. Pleased in the hanbok he wore, she licked her lips. He had remembered to wear it. His gat was large and wide and yet it could not span the width of his broad shoulders. Coming to sit behind him, she lifted a hand to press against his back. 

    “I’ve missed you.” 

    “As have I.”

    “What took you so long to come to me?” She leaned up to press her nose against him, inhaling his oh so delicious scent. 

    “I had to make sure the timing was right.” Smiling, she leaned up and kissed him right beneath his collar and to the side where his pulse beat steady against her lips. 

    “Is it ever the right time?” She breathed, letting her tongue taste the salt from his skin, teeth gently leaving their mark. She delighted in the brief but deep groan that left his throat. 

    “I suppose not. But we must make time when it’s given to us.” Reaching slow steady fingers around to the front of him, she slipped a hand into his jeogori, pulling him back against her. 

    “My absence has left you quite ravenous my love.” Lifting fingers upward, she pulled the silk ties to his gat apart and gently pulled it from his head. 

    “The price you pay for leaving me to starve.” Hands now drifted downward and untied the black cord holding the exquisite hanbok together. At once it loosened and she smirked against his ear. 

    “Now I’ll eat you all up until nothing left remains.” Lifting up, she hugged his back before pulling him down to the side. The two of them shared a laugh before she slid a hand to bring his face closer. When their eyes met, she froze. Before she could cry out, hands grabbed her around the neck. Lips grinned. 

    “Don’t stop now my love.” Leaning down, he licked her bottom lip before biting down. 

    “It was just getting good to me.” 

*** 

    “Have you seen Mishil?” 

    “She’s been isolating herself in her chambers.” 

    “I see.” 

    “She’s convinced that the Mongols will come back and slaughter everyone.” To that, he remained quiet. 

    “The crown princess does not desire to see anyone.” Standing, he bid the guards to move and slipped into her chambers. 

    “Mishil?” The room was in a state of disarray. Silks, parchment, even make up strewn about with little regard. Swallowing thickly, he came to the second set of doors and slowly slid them open.

    “Mishil?” Still nothing. Heart beating, he moved with a bit more urgency and slid open the third set of doors. A breeze tickled his face and he hurried in. Rounding the corner, his heart pounding, he found her sitting oft by the window, hair uncombed and dressed in the same hanbok from days past. 

    “Mishi-”

    “It’s not fair Oppa-nim.” Swallowing thickly, he gently approached her and sat behind her. Gently, he pulled her back against him. 

    “What’s not fair little one?” 

    “Why does she get to have children?”

    “Who?”

    “Jae-hwa.” He didn’t know how to answer her. 

    “It’s not fair…not fair. Not fair…”

    “This is something that I cannot explain.”

    “She gets to grow big with child. And yet I am unable to bear another.” Hugging her close, he closed his eyes as she began to weep, his lips finding her forehead here and there. 

*** 

    The room had been spinning and for a moment, she thought she was going to retch yet again. For a moment, she’d lost consciousness and groaned softly upon her reclaiming awareness. She shivered as she felt something wet tickle and flick her nipple. Squirming, she felt heat flush her body and the feeling of the smooth appendage brushing lightly against the super-sensitive buds had her nearly mad with want. Moaning loudly, she tried to reach for him… her beloved. 

    “All this time… it could have been so easy. If only you’d complied like this.” The breathy voice made her knit her eyebrows and her eyes snapped open. Finding eyes that belonged to a man that was not her husband, she began to protest. 

    “Seo Jun…..what….what are you…” Biting her lips in a moan, she squeezed her eyes shut at the pinch given to the erect bud. Pain mingled with pleasure as he did it again, this time twisting it back and forth between his thumb and index. She thrashed and cursed her body for the rush of excitement that wet her down below. 

    “My, really sensitive nowadays aren’t we?” 

    “Don’t touch me! Anat! Ana-”

    “It’s no use calling for your useless little servant. I sent her and the other maids on an errand.”

    “You vile beast.” Grinning, he let go of her nipple and sat back a bit, his weight heavy and uncomfortable. 

    “I told you there would come a time. Didn’t I?” Sliding his tongue across his lips, he grabbed a breast in each hand, chuckling at her attempts to free herself. 

    “Now now little one… be a good pet.”

    “Go to hell!” Her empty insult resulted in a scream of pain as he began to grip her breasts tighter and tighter. 

    “I’m going to finish what you started all those years ago Tiye Khaliset.” Lifting the pinched spheres of flesh upward, he began to help himself to her, sucking and biting her already abused nipples. 

    “I’ll make you beg me to fill you with my seed. And once I’m done, I’ll drag you all the way back to the main palace and display your abused c*m-filled body for all to see.” 

    “ANAT! ANA-AHHH!” The bite from his teeth this time sliced her nearly open and it felt as though he’d bitten clean through. Grinning at her trembling body, he reached up and pulled the necklace away from her neck, tossing it carelessly away from them. 

    “Now little flower... let’s start over.” Reaching up, he began to disrobe. 

*** 

    “Do you think that wasting away here will make you feel any better?” She was quiet. 

    “Mishil…shutting us out… shutting me out won’t help.” 

    “And what of your promise? You promised me you’d kill him.” 

    “I will.”

    “Not soon enough. Not soon enough at all.” Sighing against her, he spoke gently,

    “You must make me a promise.”

    “…what…what is it?”

    “Promise me that you won’t hurt yourself.” His eyes drifted down to the attempts on slicing her wrists and took them in each hand. Running careful thumbs across them, he allowed her to break down into a blobbering sobbing mess. 

    “Promise me rabbit.” He whispered against her. 

    “I….I….I promise.” 

*** 

    He took hold of his exposed shaft and gently squeezed, forcing a much more hard breath to come from his mouth. Running the tip of his thumb across the head, he bit down into his bottom lip. 

    “I have laid awake so many nights over the years… thinking of you. So many nights pleasuring myself…wishing it was you.” She squeezed her eyes shut and gripped air. He had her tied pretty damn good. Her teeth wouldn’t be able to bite it through. She’d need a knife.  

    “Just the memory of the barn…your lips wet with saliva milking my shaft made me come. Over and over again. It sustained me for a long time. Until it didn’t. Until I needed to make it real again.” Before he could get another word out, he stroked much harder and faster than before. Her heart pounded in her ear and she tried to wiggle away from his weight. It felt more than uncomfortable… with him damn near sitting his full body weight on her hips. Panic set in and she began to sweat. He allowed another loud breathy pant to leave his lips before quieting them with a bite to his lip. 

    “All he had to do was share you with me. I wouldn’t have complained or opposed his decisions. But no…the little shit grew selfish. Wanted to keep you all to himself. That’s when I knew I had to have you. I had to make you mine first.” She watched as his head fell back and for a moment, he was lost in the throes of his own self-inflicted pleasure. With a deep fast little breath, she lifted her hips upward and to the side, relieved when the weight of him was no more. He fell over to the ground with a loud thump. 

    “You’re upsetting me pet. Let me at least finish the story.” 

    “YOUNG-HO! HELP! YOUNG-HO PLEASE!” A hand came to strike her. 

    “It’s no use bitch. There’s no one here to save you.” He said with a laugh, reaching down to pry open her legs. 

    “NO! GET AWAY FROM ME YOU ANIMAL!” His eyes seemed to glow with delight and he licked his lips at her struggle. 

    “You want an animal Tiye-ssi?” Chuckling deeply, he reached down to lift his manhood upward, teasing her wet outer lips. 

    “I’ll fuck you like an animal.” Just as he was about to put it inside, he paused. Tears fell down her cheeks and she bit her lip to filth, trying to will her shaking arms to lift. 

    “Oh dear. What is this?” He lifted a hand and rubbed her belly, drawing infuriated hisses from her. 

    “You’re with child?” 

    “Take your filthy hands off of me….” 

    “This just got even more interesting.” He was set to enter again when a sharp zip sliced through the air. The moment the arrow made contact, he flew back with a groan. 

    “TIYE-SUNBAE-NIM!” For a moment, she laid there… tears continuing to fall down her cheeks

    “SUNBAE-NIM!” The whip of an arrow nearest her finally prompted her to move and she lifted it up and perched it between her feet. Lifting her tired hands, she cut the ties. Sliding a hand downward to lay on her stomach, her heart beat wildly in her chest. Please be okay…my precious one…

    “Young…Young-ho…”

    “Sunbae-nim…” Swallowing sand, she turned her body to the side and reached for her discarded dress. 

    “Where is Anat?”

    “She is on her way back.” A wet gruff chuckle brought their attention back to the man who had once been on his back. He now sat up and grinned devilishly, reaching down to break the arrow in half. 

    “Surely you didn’t think that would kill me?” His laughter taunted her. She stood up and dressed once more, shielding her body from his lustful eyes. 

    “I didn’t want it to kill you.” Excited, he drooled almost like a rabid dog, licking his chops each step she drew closer. 

    “Young-ho…again.” Another sharp zip and the grunt of pain. This time in his leg. 

    “Once more…” She instructed and one last one entered his left flank, his breaths of pain wheezing and wild. 

    “Who knew….that an arrow would bring such…pleasure…” He smirked, licking at blood that had begun to form at the corner of his mouth. She knelt and picked up one of the two eating jeotgarak. Chest on fire, she neared him yet. His eyes watched as she slipped a hand down underneath her dress. Soon lifting, feminine excitement glistened on her fingers and he stuck out his tongue, wiggling the appendage around as if the action would bring her fingers closer. 

    “Disgusting dog.” She hissed, denying his mouth in favor of the slim silver piece of metal. 

    “This is the closest you’ll ever come to having me you sick beast.” 

    “I wonder where you’ll put tha-” His entire body jerked forward and his eyes rolled back as she slid it into the small opening at the top of his head. Mouth ajar, he began to moan louder… hips jerking in time to the small little thrusts downward. 

    “Oh…..darling girl….beloved little pet…how creative you…you ahh….are…” She lifted the utensil upwards and out of his twitching member and at once he seemed hungry for more. His tongue stretched out and she allowed him to slid down the length of it. 

    “When you’ve had your fun… I’ll put it some place I think you’ll like.” He grinned, reaching around and down, pressing his fingers against her backside. 

    “No you won’t. You’ll never touch me again.” He lifted a hand and wrapped it around her throat just as she repeated the action of before, his moans becoming whiny and high in pitch… 

    “Just like a bitch.” She increased little by little, eyes on he who had taken to lie on his back, hips thrusting upward. 

    “Pitiful piece of shit.” He howled once more like that of a newborn puppy before jerking violently. His eyes rolled clean back as she wrapped her fingers around to grip tighter and stab. To her horror, creamy white semen began to come up and around, seeping down along the sides. The force of it sought to push the utensil out but she kept it steady, stabbing sharply wherever she could. At last, blood began to meet the messy slime and he began to scream, hands reaching for her. 

    “This is for every woman you’ve taken against her will… every innocent girl you’ve used as a body to fill.” He grit his teeth and tried to move but she grabbed hold of one of the arrows protruding from him. Taking it, she toyed with it, making him cry in agony. 

    “This is for the 16-year-old me. The one you took advantage of with no remorse. This is to shame the desire to have my corpse stuffed just so you could mindlessly fuck it every waking moment.” 

    “TIYE…” At once, she pulled the utensil from him and pressed it against his neck. 

    “And this is for mercy.” He breathed haggardly, blood having oozed out enough that a small pool of blood gathered underneath him. 

    “What Cheol-su will do to you will make you wish for my hand once more.” Letting the metal stick fall from her hand, she watched the pitiful wretch grab his genitals and curl up into a ball. Pain still shaking him, an occasional laugh would pierce the wind. 

    “Young-ho…” Turning, she found him straight and steady, arrow pulled back. 

    “It’s okay… I don’t think he’s going to hurt me again.”

    “Just in case the bastard gets jumpy I’ll stay put.” He said, jaw tight and eyes full of disgust. 

    “Where are the maids?” 

    “They thought it was Wangja-nim so they went into the town square as he requested. Only Anat and I stayed back. Something seemed off about him. Now I know we were right.” 

    “Thank the Gods you came back.” 

    “When Anat comes, I will inform Wangja-nim immediately.” 

*** 

    “Pyeha!” Lifting eyes from Dong-il his smile fell away at the panicked look on the man’s face. 

    “What is it?” 

    “We have received word from Deoksugung. There has been a grave mishap.” Dropping the brush, he grabbed the man by the collar. 

    “Speak. Now.”

    “W-W-Word has reached us that the first born prince Wang Seo Jun went to Deoksugung and attacked Royal Concubine Khaliset. A boy by the name of Young-ho defended her with arrows.” He let his hands drop from the man. 

    “Concubine Khaliset and the host of servants sent to Deoksugung are unharmed and are currently safe. There is a request to send guards to retrieve the firstborn prince Wang Seo Jun.” Closing his eyes, he inhaled through his nose and out through his mouth, the stirrings of fury having already ignited his belly. Calm your rays my sun. Any other time he would obey her. He’d listen. Focus on the movement of energy throughout his body. Opening his eyes, he left the man shaking in the horse stalls. His eyes narrowed toward the direction of Jae-hwa’s chambers. 

    “Yooshik!” He roared, his voice startling some of the women. 

    “Pyeha.” Yooshik knew the look well. He knew that today would not be the day that he obeyed his beautiful wife. He pulled him close, lips against his ear. 

    “Bring the little bitch to me. Now.” 

    “At once pyeha.” Turning on his heel, he entered into the palace’s main hall and turned right, forbidding any such servant to follow him.